We've Had a Really Good Run for a Long Time

But, that may now be over.

Some - mostly Progressive - would call that our Good Economic Fortunes. In the United States, we've - mostly -  be near the top of the ladder, when it comes to the way that our average citizens live.

Is EVERYONE rich?

Of course not. But, overall, the average American lives in comfortable, spacious housing, is fed lavishly in terms of calories (personal choices may make those low-quality calories), and is able to both avoid work for their entire childhood, and to retire at an age that will be followed by DECADES of leisure time.

Just how much extra money is available for individuals is, again, and individual decision, but almost everyone is provided for. Those who have no savings, and did not prepare well, may have to accept public housing assistance, or supplement their SS with food stamps, heating assistance, and Medicaid benefits. But, that's still living off the street, well-fed, and warm/cool, as needed.

We've had a long time of freedom. Able to travel freely on the roads and air, only needing a passport in the last few years for all international travel (both Mexico and Canada need passports now, as do the Caribbean islands that formerly had relaxed programs for day-trippers).

We had avoided the internal passport for in-country travel for most of my life. That's what the Covid passport amounts to (although I  noted that my most recent trip back to SC did not involve showing my shot record - perhaps that's already on my Federal Record).

Theft and graft had usually been limited to the largest cities (run by Democrats), and very small towns (also, coincidentally, run by Democrats). In most of the USA, the police are helpful, the judiciary is fair, and most parts of government will be reasonable and work with you to achieve your aims.

Our life span had lengthened, so much so that we were forced to raise the age of retirement for full SS credits. Otherwise, the fund would run out of money (sooner).

No more. The extremely elderly, particularly those with 2 or more 'co-morbidities' (those conditions that can lead to an expensive and sick old age, and a shortened life) were the ones that died off from Covid.

Not the young (unless having other conditions).

Not the working-age population (unless having other conditions).

The old. Who, normally, would be retired, receiving SS benefits, and hanging around until their kids were near retirement age themselves.

In less than a century, medical advances, and the willingness of insurance companies to pay for them, had extended elderly lives an average of 10-20 years past previous life expectancies.

Like a lot of people, I do suspect that is why measures were taken during the Covid epidemic that seemed counter-intuitive to a goal of reducing the impact of the illness, and minimizing the damage of the disease.

Like many, I do question the utility of forcing those admitted to go on ventilators. That practice is strongly corelated with rising risk of dying.

Like many, I do question the wisdom of forcing younger Americans to 'take the shot' to be able to attend school. 

Like many, I think the absolute panic of many teachers and staff in schools is unwarranted. Those at high risk could be encouraged to retire, if near enough to that age. Others, such as pregnant women could be given an extended period of leave. Both practices would go a long way to minimize risk.

I'm nearly 71 years old. While I'm looking forward to a long life, I would rather take a risk on dying sooner, rather than destroy the economy, imprison the young, and subject couples to the risk of infertility/birth defects caused by Covid serums.

12/30/2021 - 8:44 am

I'm reviewing this future post while also watching the Victor Davis Hanson interview on Breitbart. In it, he makes a point that is related to one that I've posted about before - that the USA of current manifestation is returning to a Plantation-type economy and social structure - racialist, with no middle class, and few inalienable rights for the average inhabitant.

The biggest change, and the one that bodes ill for American citizens, is the drive to eliminate the distinction between residents - whether illegal or legal - and citizens. If there is no EFFECTIVE difference, we - the citizens of this country - could end up being ruled by colonists in our own land.

It's not that we are anti-immigrant. I don't know any American, no matter how long in this country, who does not tear up at the videos of citizenship ceremonies.

It's not that we are anti-POC (People of Color).

It's not that we are hostile to those with different cultures, religions, languages.

It's just that we are resistant to those who would discriminate against US for our language, our culture, our race, our religion.

They would have us without the right to keep our own traditions, and have them respected.

They would have us treated as though we are innately stupid, easily led by others, and use our religion to force others to comply with the rules of our beliefs. They would treat us as credulous children, incapable of managing our own lives, needing to be told how to act, what to do, how we may travel, and what we may buy.

Children. And, not-very-bright children, at that.

The Future of Amateur Radio

I think there is little doubt that the Left (Literal Effin’ Forces of Tyranny) seeks to control all human communication on Earth. To do that, they need to get America in compliance. 

Lots of luck with that. 

But, they have made substantial progress. They’ve captured the Legacy Media, Legacy 

Social Media, and made public displays of Dissidence an offense that costs people their jobs, their education opportunities, and their licenses to practice a trade. They’ve used their power over financial entities to shut down many alternatives to These forms of communications.

They’ve shut us in our houses, attacked those displaying signs ON THEIR OWN PROPERTY, and arrested people for Dissident Protests (when they weren’t using the cops to beat them mercilessly).

Amateur radio has been considered by some to be a viable means of connecting with others. Others in the resistance say that it’s control by government makes it a poor choice.  It’s regulated by FCC guidelines (although the training, licensing, and much of the local activities are managed by other amateurs).

Some preppers, suspicious of any connection to any government entity, refuse to get a license to operate a radio, instead choosing to operate in “pirate” mode. I do understand their concerns, however, I think it sometimes preferable to work with government, even if it gets you on their official radar.

I’m of the belief that both getting a license, and also joining a club are better choices. The license offers you both official sanction, but also the support of the radio community, should you be targeted by government (assuming you are operating under normal good practices).

The clubs ar3 intended for mutual support, and will generally be composed of operators at varying levels of expertise. One thing almost all have in common is a willingness to help others learn about, and enjoy the hobby. 

Shunning the Non-Compliant, AND Those Who Would Stand Up for Them

 This is a powerful series of posts on the social dynamics of the Vaccine Wars. I’d not read much of this guy’s work before, but I’ve put him on my Must Read List. 

Finally Connecting with Other Amateurs

I pulled out my HT (that stands for handy-talky, not walkie-talkie), and charged it up. I then got out the manual, and checked the programming. A good thing I did, as the ARS (automatic repeater shift) was wrongly set OFF. I tweaked a few other settings, then - an old trick that I'd not used in a while - set the Yaesu on an aluminum pie pan.

That seems to improve the signal sufficiently to pick up local contacts.

Which, it did. I listened for a while (it was a group chat), and, on the second day, managed to slip into it long enough to verify who was active, that they met online most days, and that one of the operators had a YL (female ham) for a wife.

It's slow, getting back. Some of the time, I'm just scanning and listening. At other times, I'm getting back to the manual, and refreshing myself with the choices that can be set (Yaesu's are great - sturdy and with many operation modes - but they can be challenging to learn to use).

I looked on YouTube, and bookmarked a few channels I wanted to watch over the next few months - how to use WIRES-X, programming the radio selections, and tech talks for beginners.

I'm Done - As Is Most of the World - With Covid

After months of protest, I gave in last March, and got the first Covid shot. I had to travel 5 hours - one way - to a city that had openings in their schedule. It was a killer trip, which I had to repeat a month later.

But, I did, and had no side effects (although I was at high risk of them, having demonstrated strong reactions to substances, including antibiotics and other meds).

But, now, the "experts" are claiming that we ALL need a third, and maybe a fourth shot.

Horseshit.

Ain't gonna do that.

Now, as it happens, I have some background in science. I was a science teacher for many years, and, in the early days, taught general science, a catch-all that prepared students for Biology, Chemistry, Earth and Space, and Physics. As such, I had to have a broad background in all science disciplines.

When I moved to SC, I found that I would be teaching several sections of Biology, as well. That was NOT my strong point, so I needed to bone up on the subject. As a result, I got into the habit of reading books about diseases and other biology topics.

One book was on TB - as I recall, it was this one. Another, more general, traced the history of vaccines and immunizations.

Originally, the term "vaccine" was strictly used for the process by which people became smallpox resistant (not completely perfect, but it generally gave good protection). It used pus from people having suffered an infection of smallpox, which was dried (and presumably inactivated), and applying it via opening the skin through scratching until bleeding occurred.

It was NOT invented by Jenner, nor by any Western scientist or doctor - it was a treatment common in the Middle East (where they had suffered from the disease for centuries - it's mentioned in the Bible). That was the preventive treatment used by several influential people, who brought it back to the Western countries, including England.

In England, a less dangerous means of treatment was use of cowpox (occasionally, someone would actually get a case of smallpox from the inoculation, as sometimes happens today with immunizations). Cowpox was transmitted by cows, who got the characteristic pustules of all pox diseases (including chicken pox). The people most in contact with the cows would get a mild case, and therefore after, be much less likely to get smallpox.

Those people were women - called milkmaids - and gave them a reputation of having beautiful complexions (as they wouldn't be scarred by a smallpox infection).

BTW, the word vaccine comes from the Latin vacca (cow). It became associated with any inoculation or injection used to prevent disease after Louis Pasteur called his rabies cure a 'vaccine'.

How does this relate to Covid?

Natural immunities for a particular classification of disease, the various poxes, retroviruses, influenzas, rhinoviruses (colds), streptococcal infections, and others, will tend to provide protection for OTHER closely related illnesses.

Hence, the average person, having been exposed to many relatively mild strains of illness, will have what is called a "healthy immune system" - one that recognizes a wide variety of pathogens, and readily produces the appropriate natural substance for attacking and disabling the invader.

That doesn't happen as readily when people are given immunizations. The protection is not as long-lasting, complete, or providing protection against closely related infections. Such as the Covid shots.

Does that mean that I'm anti-vax?

Hell, no. If the disease is sufficiently dangerous - killing a significant percent of otherwise healthy people - then vaccines are the way to go.

If the disease is mild in most, but fatal to a sub-group of the population - the elderly, the immunocompromised, those with other medical conditions - then, give them the necessary shots, have them stay home during periods of high contagion, and prioritize the Public Health precautions and assistance to them.

Let those who are less likely to become seriously ill move more freely, being careful to take more precautions if they may come in contact with those who are most at risk. Let the least likely to become sick - generally, that's children above the age of 5 - mingle freely, and only remove them from school if they become actively ill. If the numbers get too high, TEMPORARILY close the school, and move to online learning. Use netbooks for those without access to computers, and set up access points in poorer neighborhoods.

Then, once the threat is over, come back to school.

Do NOT use 'testing' to decide who to isolate. These generate more false positives than true positives, and lead to prolonged school shutdowns. If a teacher or student feels ill, and tests positive, at that point, have them stay home. Don't hysterically test every person who came within 10 feet of them.

Teachers and nurses - if you might become pregnant, those may not be good fields for you to be working in - you, and your baby, are at higher risk. You might want to temporarily step out of that kind of work, and not expose yourself to disease. Am I saying that you CAN'T work in your field?

No. Just that you MIGHT want to discuss it with your family, and decide whether a short break might be in your best interests.

Just One Criticism of the "Infrastructure" Bill

I was reading, in Real Clear Politics, about one of the provisions in the bill:

Section 40541 provides “grants for energy efficiency improvements and renewable energy improvements at public school facilities,” while Title XI — “Clean School Buses and Ferries” — establishes a “clean school bus program and an Electric or low-emitting ferry pilot program.”

I realize that Sleepy Joe and the Gang have been living in relatively mild Washington, D.C. for some time. They may not be aware of the reality away from the coastal areas, where the weather is not moderated by the Caribbean Jet Stream, that sends warmer waters up the East Coast. 

That stream is why, when I went to Myrtle Beach in early June one year, I found the waters to be warm - really warm, almost body temperature. It was a pleasant surprise.

But, on the other hand, when we look at the average temps in New England, states along the Canadian border, and the Rockies, I gotta tell 'ya,

It's pecker-freezing cold most of the winter.

Because of this, I'm well aware that starting the school buses, which, despite being run on gasoline or diesel, are started up via the same means that all cars are, an electric ignition starter.

Even when the buses are stored in garages, it can be a challenge to get them to turn over.

I knew what would happen with an electric vehicle. You'd be closing school every time the thermometer hovered around the mid-20s (which, for those of us still using Fahrenheit, is BELOW freezing). Never mind when the temps plummeted below that.

Now, how realistic is that scenario, in this "time of global warming"?

In 2020, in January, 16 days fell below freezing.

In 2019, same month, 22 days.

The mean low temperature for January is 22.3.  

Which means that a LOT of kids would be stuck waiting for the bus, in freezing weather, for extended periods of time.

Or, more likely, the parents would have to take them, in their individual, big-ass, non-electric vehicles. Thereby defeating the purpose of the electric school buses.

There are other things to dislike about the bill - a LOT - but this one hit a topic I know something about.

Amateur Radio for the Newb

Which, although I've had a license for 5 years, would be me.

I've been semi-active on UHF and VHF since the beginning. Just too busy for regular comms.

I bought an HF radio (for long-distance communication), but have seldom used it, even on 2 meter band. I was beginning to work HF this last summer, thanks to friends with good antennas, but I hadn't been able to persuade my husband to OK putting up the feed.

When I bought the house in Lorain, I looked into getting an antenna that could also be used in portable operations. I considered the magnetic-loop type, but members of my club warned me that they emitted a LOT of high-energy radiation (RF). So, I looked into vertical types.

And, I found the Eagle One vertical, made by a gentlemen in the lower part of OH. I ordered it, and it arrived in short order. I've only had it out 1 time since arrival - either I had other things I had to do, often away from home, or the weather didn't cooperate.

Well, today is free of rain/high winds, so I'll be putting it up and testing it out later today. I'd like to leave it up until a little later this evening, and take advantage of using bands that are more active at night.

The Abuses of Constitutional Rights Need to be Addressed

I realize that the courts will likely move slowly, the DOJ will flat-out laugh in their faces, and the Congress, under the control of the power-mad, senile, and bat-shit crazy Nancy Pelosi, will use the Constitutional to line her Depends. The media is either useless, or deliberately demonitized, deplatformed, and, if providing even the slightest resistance to the Official Narrative, FORBIDDEN to January 6 plea bargainers. [NOTE: I have not yet been able to verify this personally].

But, some ON! SOMEONE has to have the guts to stand up, other than we few, we happy few, band of bloggers.

One of the worst abuses is treating those using the 5th Amendment as though that was tantamount to admitting guilt. Presumption of innocence?

Hell, no!

In somewhat related news, we have FINALLY found a victim of theft that the Left can get outraged about. Rich people. Yes, it's true - someone robbed of their "Widow's Mite" can still rest assured that the criminal will, if caught, be given a slap on the wrist.

But should that same crook decide to make the job easier, and relieve some rich mope of a single item (MUCH easier to carry and fence), why, the Soros DAs are fully prepared to throw the book at him. Or her. Or any other miscreant.

Not that such a stance will affect "voting" the next time. The recent changes in election have eliminated the pesky need for policy approval on the part of the electorate. Who cares what the "Little People" think of the havoc your policies have created in their neighborhood?

It's Only...

Scroll down the link to read the litany.

And, on a different topic, it's ONLY another American company dumping Americans for foreigners.

Good thing I learned how to make granola last week - the recipe is here. And, it was good - VERY good. Now that I know how it's made, I'm planning to make a batch every week or so, and keep it on my shelves.

Sometimes I feel as though we are just surrounded by 2-year old children. You know how they are - they get their way because they have the stamina to be incredibly annoying, hour after hour, saying the same things over and over. At some point, you would give ANYTHING just to shut them up.

But, every time you do that, you just reinforce that whiny, obnoxious behavior. Hell, I'm not saying anything most of you haven't experienced in your lives. Either you HAD kids, or, and  for this I truly pity you, you knew a so-called adult who used the same tactical set to get their way.  Maybe it was a parent, sister/brother, spouse, or a boss - in those cases, you are - at least for a time - bound together with them, and trying to keep your sanity.

It only stops when you either walk away - temporarily or permanently - and disengage from that game.

If it's a kid, usually they learn that, no, you aren't putting up with all that. Most of them do, and generally turn out well.

If it's an adult, well, I'm less hopeful. For many of them, this was their go-to when thwarted. After a few decades of using the same method of interacting, I just don't think most of them are capable of change - by that time, they are almost hard-wired to keep doing the Same Old S--t.

We may need to turn out the Whiny Left for a LONG time, to begin to make that change happen. Or else, be prepared to walk away from them, and refuse to have any interactions with them - ever.

What I’ve Been Reading Lately

 Some fluff, some practical, some deeper topics. 

The fluff:

• Murder mysteries of the most airy kind, barely concealed crimes with a lot of romance mixed in.
• Pop culture
• Celebrity bios

The practical:

• Cookbooks - online and offline
• Home repair, sewing techniques/patterns, decorating tips
• Writing techniques, plot development
• Radio topics - these I’m taking in small bites. Very dense reading, mostly

Deeper topics:

• History
• Political theory, preferably not at night. I fall right asleep

One I picked up a long time ago - To Set the Record Straight: How Swift Boat Veterans, POWs, and the New Media Defeated John Kerry, is my go-to reading when taking a break. The story is familiar enough to keep me engaged, yet continues to surprise me with new information about the events that brought in Bush II.

The beauty of reading history is that it gives you background on how things today got started, takes your mind off immediate worries, and keeps your brain active.

Better than stewing about the chuckleheadeded politicians busy paying off their donors, running the economy into the ground, and personally enriching themselves.

What is the Minimum Duty of a Decent Person?

I'm referring to what a person who would characterize themselves as moral would believe is the very least that he owes to his society.

If he is in a group, and some of them begin playing "He deserves it" pile-on towards one of the group, do you step up, and point out that they are being abusive and bullying towards that person? Do you point out that the person maintaining civil interactions should receive an apology? That their mud-slinging insults were unworthy of an adult?

Or do you just try to stop the interactions entirely, asking for "everyone to stop arguing"?  Are you satisfied to simply get the active fighting to end?

The thing is, though, as long as the bullies aren't called out on their abusive ways, they will continue to use those tactics. By simply shutting down the fight, you haven't stopped the ill-feeling:

• On one side, there are people who feel entitled to insult, berate, and slander their opposition. And, that defending the object of their assault makes you a valid target for the next round of attack.
• On the other hand, there is the person who was attacked, who is due an apology (at a minimum), but, thanks to your acceptance of a cease-fire, won't get it. He will be urged to "make friends", despite them having insulted him and abused him.

Neither side will thank you. They will be primed to re-start the fight later, and you can bet you won't be invited to the show.

Those who call themselves "peacekeepers" are the most likely to want to end the fight without a true resolution. They fail to see that the issue is NOT the differences that have erupted into a head-to-head discussion, but that both sides were not conducting themselves equally. Ground rules have to be established, AND ENFORCED EQUALLY FOR ALL PARTICIPANTS. 

1. No personal insults. No name-calling. No slander.
2. One topic at a time. Keep to that topic until both sides have agreed that they have reached the end of it, or until one side quits the discussion.
3. One on One - all others must sit down and SHUT UP!
4. Those not debating must act decorously; failure to do so means immediate ejection, and banishment from the forum/group for a time.

That's a minimum. The very least that an American citizen has to expect from any forum, whether public or private, government or otherwise. Larry Correia lays it all out here.

When Have You Ever Seen a Government Program that STAYS Temporary?

Short Answer: Never.

Longer Answer: Really, Never.

All of this is why I'm focusing on a couple of small things:

• Paying off my modest home
• Building up CA$H reserves - those that are under MY control, not the bank's
• Prepping - not only food, water, and other consumables, but also tools and equipment
• Helping my family to do the same
• Re-building the local connections (after having lived out of the state for many years, I've lost touch with a few people)
• Improving fitness (yeah, I know - I'm one of the MANY who vow to do that, every year - then don't)
• Getting any necessary medical conditions dealt with
• Stockpiling a 6-month supply of meds; locating sources, once those are nearly depleted

I think it's clear to any thinking person that we ARE going broke. The only question is, when will the slow-motion collapse begin to accelerate? And, what will trigger the bug-outs in the smarter people (before the unprepared and panicked respond by turning highways into parking lots).

We might, indeed, get lucky. We might stop the decay, shore up the financial system, trim the fat in government, and return to a saner world.

But, probably not. So, HOPE and PRAY for the best, but PREPARE for the worst.

Should We Be Concerned About Systemic Racism?

Short Answer: Not Really.

Longer Answer: It's Complicated.

Does Racism, in fact, exist? Absolutely. But, is it something that all of American society needs to be concerned about?

Maybe not.

Here's some thoughts about this:

If Systemic Racism is such a problem, where should the responsibility for making the corrections needed to alleviate/eliminate it be placed?

You might think that this is a problem for Systems to deal with:

• Government
• Military
• Justice
• Education, particularly those schools/colleges that have benefited most from their Elite status, and from excluding people based on ethnicity
• Banking and other Elite institutions
• Geographic enclaves that have seen the most financial benefit from not being racially diverse

That's a starter list (feel free to add your own ideas in the comments).

Government

During and immediately after the Civil War, many state, local, and federal authorities put a lot of work into making sure that color-based barriers to access were eliminated. That included setting up Freedman's Bureaus, whose main purpose was to help the newly freed slaves to get access to housing, food, medical care, and other needs. They also established schools and provided legal assistance. Many of those working in the FB were current or former Union soldiers.

Military

The US military was one of the FIRST groups, post-WWII, to be open to servicemen/women on an equal basis. It wasn't an easy change. After Reconstruction was over, the Federal government kept Black men out of many units, or assigned them to support positions. In WWII, under Wilson (Democrat), the military was specifically segregated.

Even when Black men could serve, they were often openly discriminated against. The location of many military bases in the South made it tough for them to take advantage of recreational time, house their families, and take of their personal business off-base without harassment.

But, once the Federal government accepted the goal of integrated units, the military became one of the best ways for Black men to get ahead - whether on the job, educationally, or in terms of post-service benefits.

Justice

This is one area that has left mixed outcomes. True, many Black people have moved into jobs in this career path, from police to the court system, to lawyers. The Civil Rights bills made it less likely that Black people would be railroaded to prison on flimsy evidence.

But, the concern about rising crime, and its connection to the illegal drug trade brought in changes that put a lot of people in prisons - Black and White - and made it hard for them to re-establish themselves after (given the ban on those with drug felonies getting financial aid for college, working in schools, or getting just about any federal money). A short sentence could lead to years of unemployment, and no way out.

Additionally, carrying large amounts of cash (much more common among non-White people), could lead to confiscation (the price paid to NOT be arrested for involvement in the drug trade). Add to that, the confiscation of personal property, homes, cars, and other valuable possessions - BEFORE conviction - and you had people who were unable to hire a lawyer for lack of cash, making deals for less time.

Then, too, the increased fervor of the State to criminalize failure to follow civil  regulations has led to jamming up the judicial system with questionable cases that trim private property rights to a mere fraction of what they had been.

How does that lead to racism?

It does so, because, as the protection of rights under the first 10 Amendments to the Constitution become 'mere paper' and ineffective in keeping the government off our a$$, ALL Americans - even minority ones - without special access to special treatment by bureaucrats will find their ability to function without interference blocked. It hits the less monied Americans harder - and that would include a higher percentage of minorities.

Education

From the crappy quality of many city school systems, to the use of Affirmative Action to scrape the top ranked Black people into expensive private universities, the system has done them wrong.

Charter schools - realistically, the only alternative available to many concerned parents - have been demonized by the teachers unions.

If those White Elite stay in the public schools, the parents will move Heaven and Earth to make sure that THEIR child is in classes that largely exclude the lower classes - Major Work, Honors/Gifted & Talented/IB - whatever the system calls it, you know them when you walk into the classes, as, suddenly, you see where they've been keeping the Elite White kids.

In colleges, the biggest issue is Affirmative Action, which assumes that the ONLY reason that there aren't more Black people on Elite campuses is because they are deliberately being excluded. Therefore, a certain number/percentage of places are held for the most highly rated Students of Color that the administration can find. The problem of AA is that, if a student's skill level is not within range of those White people he is going to school with, he will be at a distinct disadvantage in STEM classes. Many who start off with that pathway in mind, eventually change majors, and graduate with a useless Liberal Arts degree.

The effect of AA on legal education has been extensively studied, and it's clear that, if a student starts with lower LSATS than the rest of the class, he may get a degree, but he is unlikely to pass the bar, without multiple attempts, if then. Whereas, if that same student was educated with others with similar scores, he will likely perform as well as any other student.

Banking/Finance

This is a VERY Elite White sector of the economy. Some Black people are successful (the film The Pursuit of Happyness was based on the life of one such), but the odds are against it. Most Black people don't have the connections, nor the family wealth to make it in those fields. For that matter, most non-Elite White people are no more successful than the Black people. It's just an Upper-Class Club, and non-Elites don't have the key.

Geographic Enclaves

No True Liberal/Progressive/Leftist wants to talk about this touchy subject, but the Well-Off Classes will spend a LOT to get away from the lower classes - particularly the Black ones.

There is a reason that Gated Communities are so popular, and it isn't because they welcome everyone. They are income-stratified, class-stratified neighborhoods that Keep The Non-Elite OUT!

Funny how the same Progressives who wax lyrically about the 'vibrancy' of the city, so often feel it necessary to move out of them, once they have children. Those that stay are BOTH living in secured building (both public police and private security will be deployed to make sure that no hint of violence, poverty, or crime touches their doorstep), and have the cash for private school for their precious offspring.

They just LOVE Black people - just not too close to them. Allowing too many to move into their neighborhood will affect their property values, and they just can't have that, now can they?

What do all of the above sectors of the American Life have in common?

Just about all are controlled by Democrats, Progressives, and those who want a many-colored rainbow of people - just not too close to them.

What Does Actual Race-Based Hate Look Like/Sound Like?

This is not as simple a question as it might seem to be. I suggest that you might start identifying it by closing your eyes, and listening to the words coming from that person's mouth. You might even want to picture that person being a different color, and see if your impressions are the same.

Summing up the Situation

Here, at The Tablet.

It's Friday. I have things to do this weekend. I need to do laundry, clean up the kitchen, work  on some Christmas prep.

I need to get making some calls, and deal with some financial/paperwork issues. Get to an ATM and get some cash. Gas up.

So, I won't be online as much today. Which is a GOOD thing.

I have, however, been active online long enough to see this.

And, with no surprise at the stupidity of modern women, this.

The very first task of a Non-Leftist administration should be to SHUT DOWN those agencies riddled with partisans. Turn any legitimate functions, such as technical analysis, over to a related, but less tainted agency. (The top 4 on the list below could be sent over to the US Marshalls). Let them hire any former employees if they need to fill slots - AFTER extensive vetting to make sure that they aren't importing tainted goods.

5-9 could be shut down completely. Any research in process can be offered to the affected states (much of that research is regional, or specific to a part of an industry).

The State Department is one that needs to be investigated. What ties exist between the long-term employees and foreign countries? Are they "on the take"? Do they have blackmailable incidents in their background? Are some just flat-out ideological enemies of America or spies? Find out, prosecute if necessary, and just let attrition - TARGETED attrition - take care of the rest.

My list:

1. FBI
2. AFTE
3. Justice
4. Attorney General's office - really, just about all of these people need to GO
5. Education
6. HHS
7. HUD
8. Energy
9. EPA
10. State
11. Consumer Affairs
12. FDA
13. CDC

That's just a short list.

In unrelated topics:

Do/should Black parents bear the same responsibility for making poor parenting decisions as White parents do? That's an excellent question.

There really is no reason that SOME people causing chaos in public, committing crimes, and generally making neighborhoods into hellholes, should be excused their crimes because of their color.

The idea that bail was intended to make sure that the accused showed up in court is just wrong. It was always intended to put violent criminals in jail, off the streets, and reduce the likelihood that they would strong-arm their victims to change their stories. All the high-flying words that dance around that basic concept are wrong, wrong, wrong.

Blaming Christianity and Traditional Values for Society's Ills

It's not new - Gibbon's Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire was highly popular in the Elite anti-Christian circles of the early 20th century.

And, yet, the factors that actually were quite damaging to society were not Christian, at all. Will Durant wrote:

The breakup of the old religion had begun long before Christ…Moral disintegration had begun with the Roman conquest of Greece [in the 2nd Century B.C.], and had culminated under Nero [in the mid-1st Century A.D.]; thereafter Roman morals improved, and the ethical influence of Christianity upon Roman life was largely a wholesome one. It was because Rome was already dying that Christianity grew so rapidly. Men lost faith in the state not because Christianity held them aloof but because the state defended wealth against poverty, fought to capture slaves, taxed toil to support luxury, and failed to protect its people from famine, pestilence, invasion, and destitution; forgivably they turned from Caesar preaching war to Christ preaching peace, from incredible brutality to unprecedented charity, from a life without hope or dignity to a faith that consoled their poverty and honored their humanity. Rome was not destroyed by Christianity, any more than by barbarian invasion; it was an empty shell when Christianity rose to influence and invasion came…. The political causes of decay were rooted in one fact—that increasing despotism destroyed the citizen’s civic sense and dried up statesmanship at its source.

As for Christianity's influence on a secular society, I offer you Telemachus, the lone monk whose death ended the gladitorial games of the Empire.

Watch This, and Take Heart

There are ways out of the mess we are currently in.

Some Randomness for Thanksgiving

My husband talked me into picking up a new TV last night. The prices really were amazing, with features like built-in Roku, an WiFi recognition. The machine, a 43-inch screen size, was $299. 

And the light weight! I remember a mid-80s TV, that 2 men were needed to move it in. Any fewer meant a likely hernia. 

But the biggest surprise to me was the price of running it. Older TVs ran HOT. I used to use the top of those boxes as a food warming tray. You can see the difference in the Energy Guide:

That’s a bargain, and more than justifies the cost.

Have you been looking at the locations of "random" violence perpetrated against non-Black people lately by people of other ethnicities?

It's cities, with 'vibrant' downtown shopping.

Why?

Because the Government controls the security of the cities, and is remarkably resistant to providing adequate protection to Actually Non-Violent People using those spaces.

In contrast, the malls and shopping centers are Privately Controlled, and the customers' security is protected by Mall Cops. Which, despite their reputation, are generally pretty good, not inclined to hassle people without cause, and quite responsive to theft and threats of violence. YMMV, but that's generally what I've seen in my experience.

The one mall that had major issues of theft, violence, and other problems, was - at one time - the most luxurious mall around, the Randall Park Mall. There, the problems were:

• Teens/20-somethings using it as a hangout place.
• Roving groups, walking 3-5 abreast, forcing shoppers aside, and often causing injury. I actually experienced this, twice, before re-directing my shopping dollars to safer venues.
• Theft. A MAJOR issue. The 'kids' casually took stuff, often using the 'blitz method' - multiple kids coming in, some of them taking stuff, others being used to shield others from cameras or clerks. Then, quickly, all leaving, often handing off the stolen merchandise to still others, leaving them with no evidence on their person, and threatening court action for bias against them if the stores tried to pursue charges. It didn't have to happen very often for the stores to decide not to renew their lease. At that point, Randall owners had a hard time finding other stores to fill that space.
• The other big theft attraction was the high-value merchants - jewelry stores, electronics stores, and those selling high-priced merchandise. Those were attacked with a blitzkrieg smash and grab tactic. Very effective in chasing away both stores and customers.
• The other theft issue, and a major reason they lost customers, was the presence of large male people, often in groups, who would swoop down on customers when they reached their cars, and take the shopping bags. Sometimes took the entire car/SUV. Threatened violence, and - too often - delivered on that threat.

As the reports usually involved Urban Youths, the publicity centered on the demonstrated bias of the mall - how DARE they identify the crooks as Not-White!

Which, they were. Didn't matter, the lawyers got involved, and it was Open Season for People Who Were Not-White to take advantage of the mall's hesitancy to act to protect their merchants.

So, the mall died. And, thanks to similar tactics, many of the malls are no longer in operation. A bonus is that the shopping strips have managed to pick up the niche. It's more work and less payoff to hit those stores, so they have lost opportunities to steal after the demise of many malls across the country.

The central cities, with their efforts to increase shopping within a very small area (as the cost is high in the central cities, and competes with office space), have - once again - created The Perfect Place for Crooks and Vandals to Congregate. Leading to the massive losses in many major cities, as well as accusations against cops, followed by pulling back the cops from acting, leading to - you guessed it - more violence and looting.

This was delayed, as I had some ambition, but no follow-through. I'm clearing up old tasks today, so here it is.

The Best Practice to Follow, For Now

Just like in the old Hippocratic Oath:

First, Do No Harm.

I have no way of verifying this report - although The Gateway Pundit has been in the forefront of many stories, they have pushed some that proved to be more rumor than fact.

But, I DO, personally know, that the Official Line on Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) is dead-on wrong. It has some connection to eye problems, including blindness - for LONG-TERM use. Under the 5 year mark, it's just not likely. And, with proper monitoring by an opthalmologist, it is as safe as any medicine can be.

I've been on it for daily use, for almost 2 years. I take it for RA symptoms, and it does help manage the swelling, redness, and inflammation in my joints. I anticipate taking it until it is no longer effective, or until side effects show up.

There really was no need to intubate and ventilate ALL Covid patients when they were first admitted. But, many hospitals did. There is some evidence that the treatment made the situation worse, and may have significantly contributed to the deaths of many patients.

But, few autopsies were done. Most people accepted that their loved ones had been given the best treatment possible.

My mother had that belief - that her doctor's treatment plan was optimal for her. Even when she suffered a stroke, and she was not immediately sent to the ER, she refused to even consider a 2nd opinion. Even after her death, her husband and others in the family had nothing but praise for her doctor.

A psychologist could probably explain this as a matter of what economists call "sunk costs". When you have committed time and money to a particular plan of action, you become extremely resistant to even considering a change, however minor. Indeed, you may become quite angry about any deviation from a course that is sailing straight towards the iceberg.

How low that course takes this country is completely in God's hands, although I have to believe that He wouldn't mind a little assistance in the process of alleviating the pain of His people.

The Epidemic of my Youth

I'm not referring to Smallpox or Polio. I'm writing about an influenza breakout in 1968, popularly called the Hong Kong Flu.

I got that variation - none of the rest of my family did, in great part to my mother's efforts to isolate me in one room, follow my every deviation from that isolation with sprayed disinfectant (Lysol), and scrub down every item I touched.

I'd been stricken while at school. I went to the nurse's office, and she put me on a bed and called my parents - although, despite complaining about being cold, she never did take my temperature. Well, it was a full house, some of them spewing, so I imagine she had better things to do. My dad left work to pick me up and take me home, where I stayed for the next 2 weeks.

If I remember correctly, she even washed all my clothes and bedding separately, in hot water and bleach.

Plus, I remember the convalescent foods she delivered to my bed:

• Soup and crackers
• 7-up and ginger ale
• My favorite - grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup
• Buttered cinnamon toast

By the time I was up and around, and eating regular solid foods, I was just congested and very tired. As I recall, I was down for about 2 weeks, and easily tired for several weeks after that.

But, I recovered, as did most generally healthy people. About 100,000 in the USA did not, that year, mostly - you guessed it - the old and infirm. Not the young and previously healthy.

Worldwide, the toll was higher in some countries, although not as high as Covid. However, we have MANY more fragile elderly. That was rare in my day - either you were a healthy senior, often working and maintaining your own house well into old age, or you died off fairly quickly.

We also have many more younger people in poor health, whether cancer survivors (in my day, most people with cancer - no matter what their age - died fairly quickly), immunosuppressed, cardiac problems, high blood pressure, diabetes, and other diseases.

So, the high numbers of deaths in the early months of the Covid epidemic hasn't truly surprised me; those that died were generally not as healthy as the average person of 1968. The numbers of dead has also shrunk since hospitals stopped putting patients on their backs (easier to for nursing staff to handle the use of a ventilator). When they switched to laying them on their stomachs, percentage of deaths dropped.

Such a simple thing to make such a difference. But, that is often the case in medicine - as, for example, the earlier change to frequent hand-washing in those caring for the sick.

I got sick in late November; I can date my illness so precisely, as, in the middle of my bed stay, the Elvis TV special was on, and my father thoughtfully brought up the black & white portable set to the bedroom. My mother also delivered fresh books to my bedside when I ran out (I read omnivorously). Really, the family all took very good care of me, although not venturing into the room of "The Unclean" unless absolutely necessary.

I returned to school for just a few weeks before Christmas. I really wasn't up to speed until the New Year.

No antivirals. No decongestant (most of which didn't exist then). Just good old-fashioned home nursing.

Intellectual Freedom, My A$$

This link at Bookriot is filled with the Virtue Signaling garbage of those on The Left who wrongly believe that they are THE One Person That Keeps the Forces of EVIL from taking over all the world's 'conversations'.

And, by 'conversations', they mean - B***h, you BETTER parrot what I TELL you to.

 These complaints are coming from grown adults who may or may not live in a community and more often than not, they’re aligned with right-wing groups funded by a lot of dark money. Moms of Liberty — currently putting a bounty on teachers who talk about systemic racism — is but one of many of such groups across the United States, typically spearheaded by a failed or hopeful politician.

 Honey, nobody give a rat's a$$ what a teacher talks about in school, as long as she/he/zit is responsible, and actually TEACHES: Class, here is what The Left says Systemic Racism is. Here is why The Right doesn't agree. Now, go home, talk to your family, and get their thoughts on it. The test will only ask for you to be able to list the main points of each side. You can take any side, or hate/love them all.

If that were all, no problem.

But, that's not what happens. Kids are FORCED to take a side (and they BETTER take the 'correct' side), in front of the class. Group pressure is used to keep people from openly supporting the OTHER side - opposite what the teacher supports.

And, you might ask, how ever will they know what the teacher thinks?

• Posters
• Bumper stickers
• Videos supporting that side shown in class
• T-shirts/buttons/open advocacy

And, of course, the fake-friendly reassurance by the "impartial" teacher that she is JUST FINE with alternative viewpoints.

Right. Sure. Like that won't put a target on the kids' head. And, all the suckups eager to get the teacher's approval eagerly labeling them EVIL, and taking revenge via social media.

The Twitter link in this is to a picture of masked Proud Boys.

They share information across public and private social media tools (here’s a great example of an extremist group gearing up their followers to at protest one school board meeting this week). These groups put board members in a position of being on the defense, and in many cases board members need to be escorted to their vehicles after a meeting because their literal safety is at risk.

Their LITERAL SAFETY? Get real. At that meeting, no violence.  

In the first example of those Extremists, in IL, despite some efforts, they weren't in evidence at the meeting:

Members of the Proud Boys — a far-right neo-fascist group which has recently latched onto school board protests around the country — promoted the meeting on a messaging app commonly used by far-right activists and urged each other to attend, according to screenshots posted to social media. It’s unclear whether any members of the group showed up.

OMZ! INVISIBLE EXTREMISTS! How terrifying!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

But, if parents don't give in to The Leftists, they are Endangering Their Children's Mental Health!!!!!!!

...the same groups that are pushing anti-antiracism with their anti-“CRT” movement that conveniently includes anyone who isn’t straight, too, is going to start coming hard for mental health. They’re already protesting social emotional learning, and the next logical step is the books that talk about mental health.

OMZ!!!!!!!!

The people who want even very young kids to be exposed to the idea that they can LITERALLY switch their sex/gender (Hint: they cannot), and who dissolve into tears at any opposition (when they aren't committing assault on opponents), are going to be in charge of Mental Health.

Sounds legit to me. 

Other concerns about censorship are just too ridiculous for words. Parental concerns about some rather explicit literature in school libraries is waved away as The Worst Thing Ever! The concern of Leftists:

...those same books are on a frequent-flier list of books currently facing challenges or bans across the country, the titles gaining notoriety through social media memes and out-of-context quotes from the book’s more suggestive passages. While some of the passages are explicit, depicting sex as either trauma, discovery or both, none are prurient, gratuitous, obscene or pornographic. None, for example, approach the violence and prurience of Popeye’s rape of 17-year-old Temple with a corncob in Faulkner’s “Requiem for a Nun,” following which Popeye pimps out the girl so he can watch. None include the copious use of the N-word and the latent racism of Twain’s “Huckleberry Finn.” None approach the irony of the “Nausicaa” episode in James Joyce’s “Ulysses,” where Leopold Bloom masturbates to Gerty MacDowell’s leg. None quite approximate the male brutality, serial rape and police-state themes of “The Handmaid’s Tale.” Those books, all by white authors, three of them male and dead, are frequent, never-noticed titles on high school reading lists. 

Yeah, because NONE of these parents would ALSO be against many of those books by White authors.

/sarc

There is censorship - government action to prevent adults from reading what they choose. And, then, there is Not-Censorship - PARENTS making the decision that the media is not appropriate for children in a school library, and voicing their concerns at the public forum designed to hear those concerns.

You are, in fact, free to read what you like in America.

You are not, though, able to force the rest of us to pay for it. Or, to force topics so adult on the legally minor, against parents wishes.

There was a time when adults would sue for their right to buy non-community-approved books, for consumption in their own homes. They won in court. From there, it was a short step to making sure that libraries had that same media available in libraries, where it would be placed in the adult sections.

Now, they want to force schools to have books with adult themes/language to be in school libraries/booklists, whether or not parents approve of those choices.

News Flash - if The Left wants children to have exposure to sexually explicit literature, they need to make their OWN kids, and put those values into practice. Leave other peoples' kids alone.

The Stupid is Strong with this Prosecution

I'm amazed that even TWO jurors are holding out for conviction - and, it's said that they are doing so to prevent being targeted for mob action.

Now, it's 50-50 that this will  be a hung jury. That would leave it to the judge to step in, and provide a directed verdict, freeing Rittenhouse. Well, freeing him to face many, many civil suits. If he is not tied up in various courts for some time, it won't be the fault of The Vindictive Left.

This is not new. The Dems have been doing this for some time.

Also, they have been using mob action to bypass fair trials. The "change" that supposedly occurred during the Kennedy years and shortly after, during LBJ's term of office, whereby the GOP became the "Bad Party" that contained all the Racists, and the Dems became the "Good Party" that just LOVED Black People (yeah, right), was always false.

This trial was 100 years ago. When the mob gathered outside of the courthouse, the judge ORDERED the jury to convict - which, they did. So, jury intimidation is not a new practice for the Dems and their allies.

Will there be a secession? Unlikely, at least in the armed, Blue vs. Grey sense.

However, one of the commenters points out, that this split in orientation is NOT by region, but a case of the very big cities against the rest of us. What MAY happen is that the states dump the big cities, and go their own way. Just cut them out of the equation, and run the state without their vote or input.

The fact is, most large cities are a drain on the state's finances. They COST more than they contribute. So, reconstituting separately from the large cities might be the smartest thing ever.

Most of the more profitable businesses moved out, long ago. The airports located outside of the city's boundaries, in many cases (In Charlotte, NC's case, part of the city airport land is actually located in SC. Amazingly, the two states have cooperated in sharing planning, revenue, and other issues.)

So, dumping the cities might be the best thing that ever happened to the residents. It would be a massive wake-up call for all involved. Many of them, deprived of the influx of cash from the state and county, might eventually become another Detroit - depopulated and actually functioning BETTER without all the "helpful government".

Here is the Detroit The Left would LIKE you to think of, when you hear about the city:

But, here is the REAL Detroit.

Outside of the central city parameters, essentially depopulated.

Here's a link to information about the partisan folks that are skewing news coverage.

Here is the actual downloadable report.

Another CYA report The Left would LIKE you to buy into.

I really can't wait until all of these Lying, Cheating politicians are out of office (particularly if they are replaced with some honest outsiders). The opportunity to clear the air about racist accusations, and correct a very dishonest record would be priceless.

However, any hope of honest elections is far away, as long as the FEC is permitted to 'include' foreigners as voters, for the purposes of ballot initiatives. What part of "voting rights are for actual CITIZENS" is not completely clear?

I would love to see the opportunity for court oversight of elections, but I am not all that confident that they would do the job correctly. However, the principle of Federal oversight of elections, when they disenfranchise citizens, is clear, well-established, and both has precedent and black-letter law on its side.

I'm re-reading Enemies Foreign and Domestic, by Matt Bracken; I enjoyed it the first time, and it's both been long enough for me to enjoy reading again, and a good book - interesting and timely - enough so, when I am waiting online or on the phone, I will be lulled into a mood that will resist the urge to jump down the throats of those making me wait.

In short, I'm using it as a pacifier. Well, it beats taking up smoking again.

Pearl Harbor Day, From the Perspective of My Parents

They had very different experiences.

Dad had already been drafted, about 6 months before. He always said that he thanked God for that happenstance, as it gave him time to be trained for his eventual job in the Artillery.

At that time, America was at peace. Europe was already engulfed in military action, and stories (and refugees) were streaming out, telling of atrocities and horrors. But, it didn't affect that many Americans, and most of the country was determinedly pacifistic.

After the country's experience in WWI, most Americans were resolute in their belief that the USA ought to stay out of troubles in other countries - both Republicans and Democrats were generally opposed to military action.

So, even though my Dad was serving in the Army, he - like most of his unit - fully expected to serve their term without seeing action. For my Dad, and a lot of others, it was easy money. And, as their housing, food, and medical needs were taken care of, the money was theirs to spend freely. Which, most of them did.

My Dad, an experienced poker player, made a fairly good addition to his income off the nearby games. He sent some of it home for his mother (who still had 2 kids at home), and used the rest for fun.

When Pearl Harbor was attacked, he, like most of the rest, were glued to the radio. They knew that this would likely be a game-changer. What most of them didn't expect is that they would be also declaring war on Germany and Italy. Their beef was with Japan. This experience is similar to what we felt after 9/11 - why the hell did we go to Iraq, rather than to Afghanistan (and Pakistan, that never got the payback they deserved for facilitating bin Laden's plans)?

Dad had time to digest the news and prepare for war. It was several years before he landed in Europe, in 1943. He made it in time for a fair amount of hostile action, including the Battle of the Bulge. He was cold, wet, dirty and miserable. As part of the Artillery units, he was generally a little further back from the Front. It was dangerous, but not as bad at those who flew the planes into the enemy's cities, or who were face-to-face with their opponents.

No, his war was mostly flash and boom. A LOT of boom. He lost a significant part of his hearing in that war. After, he was less social in groups - he couldn't hear well enough in noisy environments to participate. Only in small groups, or away from the noise, could he be a part of conversations.

I'd always thought of him as shy. It probably was less shyness, than inability to hear clearly. From stories he later told of his wild, mispent youth (gambling, drinking, and driving fast cars for his bootlegging buddies), he came home from the war a different man.

Mom was only 13 on December 7, 1941. She was in 7th grade at St. Luke's School, in Lakewood, OH. Her experience was very different.

Her only brother was 4-F for vision. He worked as a welder at a J & L Steel, where his Dad used some influence to get him a job. As he was otherwise fit for duty, he was isolated from the hazards, and yet able to fully participate in life. He really did have horrible vision, so there is no doubt the military made the right decision, but he always felt he had something to prove to the world about his manhood.

Without having personal worries about loved ones in danger, my mother threw herself into fully enjoying the war years. That sounds callous, but she was a kid - and a fun-loving, outgoing one, to boot. She was a temperament similar to Scarlett O'Hara, who fretted that "silly war talk" would spoil her fun. She had a lot more compassion and character than Scarlett, but definitely could relate to her desire to ignore the more unpleasant parts of war.

She went to an all-girls school - St. Theresa's Academy - now defunct. Her brother and sisters had attended Holy Name, a coed school, but transportation difficulties made that a less attractive option. Besides, her best friend was already enrolled, so she joined the crowd.

Mom was NOT the academic type. She made OK grades, but found the classes boring. She was always up for a prank or mischief, even in school. Because she really was a nice girl, if more than a bit frivolous, she kept out of serious trouble. 

St. Theresa prided themselves on producing Nice Catholic Wives and Mothers. My mother was a stellar example of their work. She married at 19, less than a year after her graduation, and stayed married for 46 years. My father was in love with her to the end.

Mom participated in metal scrap drives, meatless Tuesdays, and other Support the Troops activities. One of the funniest things she did was to persuade her parents to host a party. With all her classmates in an all-girls school, they were woefully short of men.

That's when my mother had the bright idea of calling up the local Coast Guard station, and inviting any of the guys to a party.

Fortunately, my grandparents took their job as chaperones seriously, and - once the guys saw how young the girls were, and that they were being watched over at a no alcohol party - the older and wilder ones left, and the younger guys who stayed had a wonderful time.

My mother's reputation as a party-planner was made for all time.

Mom did pick up a boyfriend in high school. By the time she was 16, they were engaged. They broke up shortly after the war was over, when her Navy fiancee returned. A few months later, after graduation, she met my Dad, and only a few months later, they eloped.

For Mom, the war years were exciting. She would sing the songs of her teen years around the house. She had nothing but good memories of that time. She'd been safe, warm, and reasonably well-fed throughout.

My Dad had a different experience. He talked little of most of the war, focusing on a few of the funny stories of that time. There weren't many. Like many who slogged along, he spent most of the war uncomfortable, when he wasn't in danger. He'd been dirty for long periods of time, and often cold and wet.

The local infrastructure, by the time he got to see it, was trashed. The food he ate was mostly 'chow'. There were few nights in beds, little rest, and not much to see in the local environment that would have been worth going back to visit later.

Caring Vs. Rationality

Humans are funny. They take it as a given that caring about other people - or, at least, pretending to care about them - is hugely important in a leadership role.

Why?

A lot of that goes back to tribal considerations. In small societies (tribes), where the bonds that hold people together are largely kinship ones, it is important to openly speak and demonstrate through actions that you care about your kin's well-being.

Women do this well, for the most part. Only when they see an edge to be gained in status position, will women engage in the openly hostile 'mean girl' activities. Generally, those actions will take place in a wholly female environment. When men are around, those same women will display completely fake, psuedo-loving demeanor towards their victims.

The victim, naturally, takes this personally. That person often spends large amounts of time trying to analyze the situation, dissecting the interactions, and attempting to find a REASON for that hostility, and the 'fake-nice' in public vs. the maliciously hateful in private.

There is no personal reason. That bully has just determined that the victim can be destroyed, and that it would be to the bully's advantage to do so.

For that reason, the vics are often seemingly no different than the perps. They are in the same range of looks, intelligence, and personal charm. In short, a competitor, not an ally, and, therefore, needing to be taken down to solidify the perp's position.

This is the way that humans have functioned from the earliest days on this planet. And, despite the growth of what has been called civilization (the clumping of often unrelated people within a geographically limited space, a process that only commenced after agriculture was firmly established), that's the primarily the way it continued to function.

Even in the era of consolidated kingdoms, and the early days of empires, affiliation by kinship, including the extended kinship of connections by marriage, was the primary method for organizing the rule of the many by the few.

The Greeks were one of the first to try a different method. They established rule by citizens - all the property-owning men within the confines of the city-state. All had equal say in the government, all had equal responsibilities for defense, contribution to the public treasury, and administration of the city-state, either personally, or through their delegated representatives.

In effect, they extended the concept of 'related' to include those men living in close proximity, who had a property stake in the outcome of the city's well-being. The tight bonds of DNA-related kin were loosed, and citizens were expected to put the good of the larger group ahead of the smaller kinship group.

Naturally, given human nature, it was a not-always-successful experiment. Despite the ideal that rational decision-making should overrule the desire to see one's own family prosper, well, genetic connection is a powerful force.

The Romans extended that experiment to include a larger territory, and, eventually, an empire. Again, they experienced mixed success in defeating the natural desire of men to benefit their closest relations - particularly when it came to the elite (not too different from today).

That ideal waxed and waned over centuries. It was ascendant during the so-called Enlightenment years, and that's when the ideal crossed the Atlantic, and found a home in America.

America was made for the Greek-Roman method of ordering society. As only a small part of any family from the European continent even made the ocean voyage, and the frontier was luring them to travel even further, Americans tended to substitute a sort of "kinship of small towns" for the closeness of an extended family. Places in the Eastern seaboard still wanted to know "who is your family?", but those living along places west of there were more likely to have a more sturdy identification with their fellow citizens of the town, and, more distantly, the state or region.

Only the Mountain dwellers - those who lived in a more isolated environment - still retained the strong kinship groupings, the clans with their suspicion of outsiders.

How does this affect public life?

It meant that men, for the most part, interacted with other men who had no family connection to them. They were forced by circumstances to appeal to more impartial law and rational argument to sway others to go along with their desires. It meant that - ideally - they worked to set the law, and not personal connections, as the main means of interaction in the public sphere.

So, what about women?

Their affiliations, and connections, were based on emotional ties:

• Family was first. No matter whether or not they liked you, or agreed with you, a woman would preferentially defend those who were kin.
• Neighbors were next - these were people you knew, and often had some emotional connection with. Your children played with them; later, they might marry and form connected families.
• Church connections - most women were fervent believers. They were the backbone of their church, and whose work depended on managing the interpersonal relationships with well-established norms of behavior. How other women felt about you would determine whether your cause was backed, or rejected.
• School connections - women in America are, and have been for some time, MORE likely to have completed a higher educational level than their husbands. Women often make friends in schools (public or private, secondary or college) that last the duration of their lives. Such friends often serve as quasi-sisters (in colleges, sorority members refer to each other as sisters).

Well, those women, after a LOT of nagging, got the vote. They first used it to elect Harding; later choices were no less disastrous. Candidates promising to replace a perceived not-adequate husband-protector were generally the favored choice. Little by little, women replaced impartial rule of law with promises to 'take care' of people. More laws, more restrictions on freedom, and more heavy-handed promises of perfect safety.

In today's world, the tightest connections for Elite women are among the Wine-Moms, who band together against an often faithless world of men. These are emotionally entangled groups, who are no less likely to take on quixotic quests against The Patriarchy. Or Ex-boyfriends or Ex-husbands. They have the same reckless disregard for loss of life or reputation that those who ordered The Charge of the Light Brigade had. When women take on other quests, they bring the same sensibility to those efforts. Anything goes, winner-take-all, and use the club of "Caring" to beat your opponents.

Fairness, rationality, and rule of law are unimportant to such women. Their only concern might be - will I get caught? Upholding 'The Sisterhood's Goal' is paramount, no matter what the risk.

Their philosophy has oozed into other facets of life - at work, in politics, and, most damagingly, in the development of their children's moral values. In the absence of men in the home, Mom's ethos rules. That ethos is personal, petty, and highly partisan.

And, there you see the distorted underpinnings of the emotionally-driven approach to public life. It's time to dismantle the Deep State, sharply reduce the size of government - at ALL levels, and to Starve the State.

It IS Getting Colder in Cleveland

It's a yearly thing. Cleveland is heavily affected by the winds traveling from the Arctic, through Canada, across the Great Lakes, and hitting Cleveland with LOTS of snow. See the map below to get a sense of how the latitudes of Europe and the Mediterranean are comparable to the USA.

As you can see, the area of Northern Ohio is approximately in the Balkan region (that region has some brutal winters, in part due to latitude, but also because it's a generally mountainous region).

And, having lived for over 15 years in SC - part of that in the steamy, swampy region known as the Low Country, I'm feeling the cold this year. I'm trying to keep from setting the thermostat higher, given the issue of fuel prices.

So, this morning, I had been planning to switch from my nighttime Fabletics pants (VERY comfortable for sleeping in), and said, "Hey. Why don't I just put on a pair of pants OVER them?"

So I did. And, am toasty warm.

And, drinking my coffee.

I noted that Trump got one of the lawsuits against him dropped. He's hanging tough on the rest, at present.

It's clear that the Left, and the Deep State, just doesn't understand him. They use their usual tactics of lawfare and intimidation, and are astonished - and teeth-grindingly mad - when he doesn't quickly fold.

Guys.

He's BEEN sued before. He's BEEN dragged into court. He is not afraid of the publicity, nor of the cost (when you take as many risks as he does legally, you budget for legal costs as a matter of normal overhead).

He's stubborn. Not ridiculously so, as he has pivoted, when necessary. But, when he digs his heels in, he does not give up when pressure is applied.

Notice that he doesn't generally comment on the ongoing cases, other than to assert that the charges/suits are baseless, and he will win in the end. But, he's very vague on what he says (that's probably something his lawyers drilled into him).

Trump is a guy who can prioritize. Focus on the essential things, and ignore the rest, after he turned them over to his lawyers or delegates.

It's a mode of functioning in a chaotic situation that works for him. Generally.

Bullying in school is a massive problem. It always was there, but the last 20 years or so have ratcheted it up to the size of a galaxy. This story, about an autistic student whose torture by other kids was ignored by staff and teachers, is heartbreaking. After her parents had tried to alert the school to the extent of the problem, and getting no resolution, the 10-year old girl resorted to suicide.

This is why alternatives to government schools have to be available - private, charter, and virtual/homeschooling options. Only after the schools face the consequences of pandering to influential families, and sweeping the CRIMES of their children under the rug, will this stop.

I had no idea that this was "A Thing". I'm a curly-haired girl - it's more wavy than curly, now, but as a kid, my hair was very fine, curly, and snarled in the morning. It took some gentle care to untangle it, and get ready for school.

Yes, my hair did look like that. The color, too.

It's not just a 'Black Girl Thing'. Kinky hair is relatively common in Irish families, too. And, with the increasing prevalence of mixed-race families, it's an issue that hits across cultural lines.

Here is an interesting article about the difficulties of reducing pollution and energy use in the fashion industry. It looks at the potential for new technologies, some relatively quick fixes, and the way the industry works that makes a lot of that reduction a pie-in-the-sky dream. (My Bolding)

In the short term, polyester made from recycled water bottles does have a lower carbon footprint. But once it's made into fashion, it can never be recycled again—the next stop for such apparel is the trash. Less than 1 percent of all clothing is currently recycled into new clothing. And nobody has actually done the calculations to confirm whether recycling polyester into polyester would lower our emissions—it’s a pretty energy-intensive process.

 The thing is, the most common part of today's clothing is that it involves MIXED fibers - linen, wool, cotton, plus the addition of polyesters, lycra, and spandex to make the clothing more comfortable, keep the shrinkage down, and make a smoother fit. The stretchiness of the fiber mixes means that wear on the seams and stress points is less. These manufactured fibers just wear better than the natural ones.

I remember, years ago, reading an article about those new fibers, and how they affected the wear of many items - in that case, bedsheets. At one time, you could only get so many uses out of sheets - the laundering process wore down cotton fibers to the point that the sheets had to be thrown away, or at least, made into rags, within a year or two, depending on the quality of the original sheets.

Today's fibers have superior durability - I have sheets from the 1980s that are still in good shape - that's 40 years of use. And, as frequent washing has less effect on longevity, we can launder more often, and have a fresher and less bacteria-laden home environment. Now, that's a game changer.

When I was a kid, charities would collect clothing for poor people in other countries. The collection drives were always accompanied by pitiful pictures of people in rags.

Not today. Poor people the world over have clothing that is indistinguishable from that of the more industrialized countries. OK, in some cases, with less ability to wash clothes, maybe a little more soiled, but without holes.

Also, mixed fibers are important to the ability of moisture to be 'wicked', or moved away from the body to the surface of the clothing. Colors are brighter, and less vulnerable to fading. The clothing wrinkles less, and can generally be worn without ironing.

These features are what make today's clothing a completely different experience from yesterday's single-fiber-type apparel.

One thing that might reduce clothing purchases is finding ways to help people get their weight gains under control - a common reason for buying new clothes is that the old ones, while in good shape, don't fit.

UPDATE: It's late afternoon - 4:19 EST - in Lorain, OH, and I just woke from a short nap. I'd headed to bed, because my morning was so full:

• Church this morning at St. Mary's on the Lake
• Followed by a fruitless search for some inexpensive rock salt. You can get pricier magnesium chloride, in smaller containers, but no 50# bags of old-fashioned sodium chloride. Not nowhere, not no how.
• I did manage to find a nice pair of snow boots, for a decent price. But, no driving gloves. The gloves I brought with me are not suitable for that purpose.
• No 'winter underwear' - that would be thin undergarments - tank tops, camisoles, or tiny tees, meant to provide extra layers to keep you warm when - not IF = the cold drops into the teens or below.
• Driving home in honest-to-goodness snow. No, it didn't stick, but the sloppy, wet snow made driving a bit of a challenge. At one point, I had to brake, and had a moment of panic, when the car skidded forward. Fortunately, the ABS - anti-lock braking system - kicked in, and I avoided disaster.

All that drama and running around left me exhausted.

The Best Piece I've Read Yet on the Shipping Crisis

From a trucker with some insight on the multi-faceted problems.

It's complicated, and has many parts, but here's the bottom line:

The Likelihood of Anyone Getting Large Items, Anytime Soon, is Pretty Much Nil

Now, that means:

• Large equipment for business - nope
• Large appliances - nope
• Heavy items, that would be very expensive to ship in by airline - nope
• Any bulk item, that is container shipped - nope

Those items that are small enough to be shipped - in relatively small quantities - by air, MAYBE.

So, what this means is: if the item is not already in an American/Canadian/Mexican store or warehouse, it ain't gonna arrive in the near future.

I bought a snowblower this week - cordless type, a Ryobi. It was one of the smaller models (if I have to lift it at some point, it has to be light). It cost $419 + battery and charger. A good price.

And, in the store I was buying from - Home Depot - it was a floor model. The number available was limited. The higher-priced models are there, but the cheaper ones are in limited quantities, and will be going fast.

If you live in an area hard hit by snow most years, I beg you - buy NOW. They will probably NOT be available in a few weeks, at most.

How do I know this?

I tried to buy the same model at Lowe's the day before - there were none in stock - anywhere - and they didn't expect more in the near future.

The same is true for a lot of stuff, particularly those things that are seasonal. Which means, Christmas is gonna be, for most people, the real wake-up call. They will head to the stores, expecting to be able to find what has been advertised, and it will not be there.

Yeah.

It's gonna be like that. Only for more than a single toy. A hell of a lot of those things that you normally buy for Christmas will NOT be there.