A Back-Door Way to Kill Gun Rights

Ace of Spades is calling "The British are Coming" in today's post.

The use of rental agreements/leasing terms to clap down on gun support and possession, block open expressions of NLD views, and use this to pressure families to fall into line with ProFa doctrine, is a growing concern. If you could own a house that will be targeted for abusive zoning, taxation, and city regulatory abuse, while the rental units will not only be exempt from that harassment, but potentially eligible for financial incentives, preferential treatment in school assignment, and job preferences.

I'm guessing on the last part, but a guess with some history to my hunch.

How the ProFa get power.

We need to re-label the Hard-Left, much like the Pro-Abortion forces re-christened the Pro-Life activists as the Anti-Choice group.

Why should we accept a name that brings up connotations of the Good Guys of WWII? Instead, we need to start calling them ProFa, and hammer down on their Fascist behaviors:

• Silencing their opponents with violence and threats.
• Refusal to all full discussion of the issues, instead shouting down their opponents and insisting that their speech is "violence".
• Use of the legislature, courts, and bureaucrats to enforce their positions. When that fails, use the media to defame them.
• Street thugs used to pressure government officials, private businesses, and any vocal opponents.
• Getting regulations in place that justify their illegal actions.
• Offering financial incentives for individuals, groups, and corporate interests to support their control.
• Collusion with the legal system - putting their supporters in influential jobs, where they can get those committing crimes released with little to no consequence.
• Identifying opponents as a group that may be targeted without consequence. This is Jews in many ProFa circles, particularly academia, but also Asians and White/non-compliant Blacks, as well.

Please share this online. Label them. Make them regret they ever included the term Fascist in their identity.

A Short and Non-Professional Explanation of Attempts to Exclude Biden from the Sacraments

I well know that many people - including my co-blogger, Fran Porretto, could do a better explanation. However, I'm going to give it a try, based on my own experiences as a child in a "mixed marriage" (which USED to mean a Catholic and a non-Catholic - the church had no position on racially mixed marriages - still doesn't).

This response was prodded by a post in Juliette Akinyi Ochieng's Facebook page.

I am a lifelong Catholic, but have had exposure to Protestant thinking, from my father's family - some Church of God, others Church of Christ (a regular event of my youth was summer picnics enlivened by the fervent efforts of my non-Catholic cousins, fresh from Bible Camp, eager to 'convert' me). As a result, I had to learn a lot about my own faith, in self-defense.

As a result, I've read both the Catholic Bibles, the KJV, and many books explaining the distinctions between the different views.

So, I think I can speak with some understanding of the issue:

• Protestants are under many misconceptions about what Catholic beliefs entail.
• For Catholics, attending Sunday services is not just a nice thing to do to get filled with the spirit. We believe that we participate in a Mass, that constitutes a direction communion with God. A visible manifestation is our reception of Communion, which is limited to those who believe in the basic tenets of the Church (among them, marriage is until death, and reserved for 1 man and 1 woman, and that abortion is a grave sin).
• Because of that above belief, we limit reception of Communion to those who are in FULL communion with the Church (which excludes Protestants, Episcopalians, Greek and Roman Orthodox, among others).
• It also excludes those who are divorced or married to someone who is (I have no idea how Jill Biden's 1st marriage was deemed "not a problem" - not my business).
• It does seem unfair that you could fornicate with many, while still remaining married, and take Communion. Same with other sins - if they are not public, but attempts to hide them are made, the Catholic may still take Communion.
• This is why the Mafia gets to continue taking Communion. If they deny the crimes - yes, including murder - OFFICIALLY, their sins are between them and God. If they admit them, but ask forgiveness in Penance (Confession), and are truly repentant (and make amends, as much as they can), they will be forgiven and permitted Communion.
• Heretics, however blameless their personal life, are excluded, as they deny core tenets.

Seems harsh, doesn't it?

Well, it is. It was meant to stop open defiance of the Church's temporal authority.

Priests may exercise their priestly authority to deny Communion;, and some have - for example, not permitting those living 'in sin' or in a gay marriage to participate. If the sin is publicly known, and the person continues in that sin, they could qualify for this. There are medical personnel that have been kept from Communion, based on their participation in abortion procedures.

Now, many Catholics don't believe those tenets, yet still take Communion. That's between them and God, as long as they don't make their opposition public and vocal.

ALL people, in reality, do sin; for that reason, the church has ways for them to confess their sins, repent, and - hopefully - sin no more, at least in that particular way.

Are there repeat sinners? Sure. AA has their 'backsliders', too. They accept you back after what they call a 'slip'. The thing is, organizations dedicated to helping you become a better person also help you get back on the right path, if and when you falter. It's part of their awareness of human frailty.

However, I think it likely that a person coming into an AA meeting, week after week, and loudly voicing his opinion that the whole experience is a complete fake, and passing out pamphlets for another 'program' that allows limited alcohol, and promoting it during the meeting, would be banned.

Just as those who promote ideas/practices radically against Catholic beliefs might be banned from receiving Communion. Like Biden. And Pelosi. To just name two.

The thing is, acceptance of abortion wasn't one of those "evolved beliefs" that just HAPPENED to develop as people became more sophisticated (unless you are using an old meaning of sophistication, which is synonymous with adulteration or corruption).

Getting Americans to accept abortion, under the guise of sexual liberation, was a lengthy and purposeful process, that used - among other means - women's magazines to push it through. That use of popular media was the model for today's Woke Media. It was remarkably effective in reaching their audience.

Mistakes vs. Criminal Acts

I get irritated about the common explanation after some is caught breaking the law:

I made a mistake

No, you did NOT.

You committed a CRIMINAL offense, and, only after having your CRIME revealed, and in danger of JAIL, did you decide that you were "truly sorry" for "having made a mistake".

Let me explain what mistakes are:

• You drop something breakable (and, were not trying to juggle it at the time).
• You write the wrong year on a form, in the first weeks of the New Year.
• You are horribly math-challenged (now, isn't that a nicer way to say Dumb as Dirt?), and bounced a check.
• Or, you and your spouse BOTH wrote some checks, and are now overdrawn (happened TWICE in the first years of our marriage - we learned to ASK before writing a check or using a check card).
• You blurted out a remark, and hurt someone's feelings/outraged them. If it was an accident, apologize, and expect that it will take some time (if ever) to repair the relationship. If you MEANT it, own up to it.
• Attention wander while driving? Cause a fender-bender? Yeah, I'd classify that as a mistake.
• Deliberately drink/drug, and cause the same damage or worse? NOT a mistake.

So, no, the actions of this Democrat (and any others who colluded with him, or knowingly went along with it), are NOT a mistake. It was a DELIBERATE effort to subvert the election process, and disparately benefited in a partisan way, That would be a violation of the laws on using public funds for partisan purposes. As such, they constitute a FELONY, and should carry BOTH jail time, and a LIFETIME prohibition from voting and any participation in politics or public service. That should extend to anyone that benefited from those actions - i.e., the elected official.

Why Can't We Just "Get Over the 2020 Election 'Loss'?

"It's OVER; Stop Talking About It".

That's what the Dems are saying, with increasing impatience. Every investigation that unearths more and more unlikely chain of events - which, according to the Officially Smart, Honest, and Sensible People, is Completely UNsuspicious - is airily declared to be No Big Deal (or as our putative President would put it, NFBD).

Let me put this in terms the Left and their supporters might understand:

You are a teacher in a high school. There is an election for Student President. One student is a Charismatic, but Annoying Guy, who people either love and absolutely HATE. Let's call him CAG.

His opponent is a Smarmy Toady, who's record as Treasurer of several clubs has left them MYSTERIOUSLY short of cash. The admins accepted his protestations of innocence without a formal investigation. When the other students in the club complained, they were told that this had been FULLY investigated, and the issue was SETTLED.

Let's call that second guy ST.

Now, in most of the school, the numbers are relatively even for supporters. It seems that CAG has a slight edge overall - around 55-45. Still, ST's supporters insist that there is a hidden vein of potential voters who will deliver victory.

Now, several things happen in the last weeks of the campaigns:

• There is a SUDDEN infusion of students registering at the school. They look a little old for high school - many have graying hair - but the registrar insists on enrolling them, even with no documentation. CAG's people protest, saying they are the homeless people from the camp just outside the school district, but the admins rule them eligible for enrollment.
• Posters start appearing in the halls, denouncing CAG as a sexual harasser, secret supporter of the school's traditional rival, and responsible for repeat crimes against the school's minority students (no reports were made of these long-ago crimes, but - trust the accusers regardless). CAG's supporters gather in the main office to protest the posters, which have no stamp indicating that they had admin approval to be posted. The students are turned away, after being threatened with suspension for violence (which leaves them puzzled, as they were peaceful and polite). On the way out, they are pushed around and egged by ST supporters. As a result, CAG's supporters get a suspension for 3 days.
• On the day of the election, excitement is high. The votes are submitted to the teachers, and they start counting. Most of the homerooms report the results promptly. Their raw tally is 57 CAG, 43 ST, even higher than predicted. As the votes are not counted individually, but as a homeroom, this gives CAG a comfortable lead of four homerooms overall
• But, wait! 5 homerooms hold back their numbers, stating "issues" with infrastructure (whatever the hell that is). They insist they are working to fix it, but that the school should close for the day. The principal hustles students onto their buses, and announces that all teachers and other staff have 10 minutes to leave before everyone is locked out. As the last teacher leaves, the principal locks all doors.
• BUT, surprisingly, the teachers from the non-reporting homerooms have stayed behind. And, after a short dinner break, are hard at work counting votes. Which, AMAZINGLY, are nearly 100% for ST, giving him the five homerooms he needs to WIN! Most of the ballots were from students who were absent that day.
• The next day, the students and teachers return to be greeted with the news that ST has won. A Victory Party is "spontaneously" organized in the cafeteria, a party to which 10 students show up out of 650. Those present loudly proclaim that this PROVES the validity of the victory.
• Amazingly, after the election, those late-registering students are never seen again. AND, the actual ballots seem to have disappeared.

Now, if you were a student, would you give up and accept the election results?

The Problem of 'Free' Health Care for All

That 'Free' gets to be very expensive - for all who pay taxes.

Now, the Leftist and his followers, the "Progressives", think this is a GOOD thing. After all, why shouldn't those with money pay for the 'Health Care' of those who don't have a well-paying job?

Note I wrote "well-paying job". That's because those who are Officially Poor often have more disposable income than those who work for their own support. Don't believe that? Check this out.

Are there actual Poor People? Of course. But they are NOT in the majority of those classified as poor. Most of the "Poor" are people whose income from working is low, that's true. But, rather than encourage those people to improve their situation, the Poverty Pimps (those well-meaning and usually Left-leaning social workers and community workers who live off government support for their work) work quite energetically at supplementing their clients' income with support payments.

Support payments are given for being Official Poor. They rise if the OP STAYS poor. They will be cut off if that person successfully improves their situation (such as getting a better job, which may not have benefits or even that much extra money). The entire purpose of the system is to keep OPs from changing their lives for the better. They are financially penalized if they do.

There are those who say "No one LIKES being poor!". While it's true that, given unlimited alternatives, almost all would prefer having more money.

The thing is, in America, being Officially Poor is 'comfortable enough'. They don't make so much money they lose their entitlement to feel downtrodden and put-upon, just enough that the Pinch of Poverty - that spur that drives people to rise early, work hard, and Get the Hell out of Da' Hood - is a minor annoyance, not an acute ache.

Now, a suggestion for the future:

Take the time - NOW - to shore up your possessions, home, and body. At this time, it is cheaper, and easier, to make those repairs, then it will be in another year or two. Plus, at today's interest rates, you can often negotiate a "same as cash" deal with providers for a limited number of months without paying interest. That, alone, will look like a genius move when the interest rates start climbing - and they WILL start climbing.

Get your teeth fixed, any Lasix or other needed surgery, and don't forget to work on general fitness and trimming down. You'll never regret getting your body in the best shape it can be.

As for a house, look outside - FAR outside of a city. Put as much as you can down, to get a good interest rate. But, leave some cash in reserve to get the best deal on repairs and upgrades. Invest in a security setup - but, NOT the kind that has subscription monitoring. YOU want to be the one in charge of your own defense.

Buy extra shelf-stable food on sale, and store it safely. Lay in supplies of rechargeable batteries, solar panels, and a generator (and the gas to run it). Have alternative ways to weatherize your home/provide power. That includes heating water for showering/sanitation. And, have an alternative way to wash clothing, should power go out.

Create an 'emergency pharmacy' - common drugs, OTCs, and first aid supplies. Talk to your doctor, and see if you can get a prescription for a 90-day supply of needed meds to keep in reserve (rotating them as you get new meds). Check with GoodRX to see if you can pay for the meds yourself, with the discount, without going through your prescription drug plan. Most of them frown on stockpiling, and will NOT pay for it. 

The idea is to be self-sufficient enough, to ride out temporary disruptions to the supply chain. I don't anticipate long-term disruptions (Americans are remarkably ingenious about getting around restrictions, and our truckers have a long tradition of ignoring inconvenient laws). The point is to keep a sudden critical need from forcing you to give up your rights as a citizen.

Some Different Sources for News Feeds

I've been feeling as thought my older sources of aggregated news were getting tired and old (Instapundit and Ace of Spades are the two top ones).

Well, Ace has stepped up their game - the tech feed they've added to their daily news is not only timely, but also contains some reports I've not seen elsewhere. Today's feed (link above) has some news about Bitcoin, and Ring camera privacy, that is worth that time spent, alone.

Leftist, or Liberal - Or, Leftist-Lite?

It's a close call. I began to realize that it would be important to create a post on this, when I read a similar discussion on The New Neocon.

Generally, I would say that the Leftist is more hard-core. Someone who is aware that their support is not just for causes that "Good People" support, but someone who is aware that their support will likely lead to complete overthrow of our current social, economic, and political systems.

 Liberals would generally include what would be called Progressive Democrats, the "good" Republicans (of the NY/Rockefeller/Romney type), and non-affiliated peoples with vaguely socially Left-of-Center ideals. They may be 'squishes', but they are extremely resistant to any attempt to bring them closer to the Center, let alone the Right.

The last category, Leftist-Lite, is one that is common in America today. They haven't anything as firm as actual principles. Some of them are, frankly, too uninformed (or, sadly, dumb) to be able to explain the rationale behind their positions. What they are is Fervent Supporters of What Everyone Else Who is One of the Good Ones Espouses. 

In other words, they take their position because, at heart, they are followers. Whatever the currently fashionable narrative is among their group, they accept it wholeheartedly.

The Leftist-Lite people aren't inherently bad, just Clueless Dupes. They will be HORRIFIED to find out that they were wrong, in the unlikely event that Non-Leftists ever manage to break through the Media Bubble.

But, I'm probably kidding myself. Ordinary people are quite capable of ignoring/forgetting the plain truth, when it contradicts their long-accepted dogma.

How - CONVENIENT!

I'm not buying this unlikely story; the more I think about it, it looks like a Federal Op. It seems to be yet another piece of Fake News from people who don't understand how Bitcoin works.

How do you tell that your government is lying?

Their lips are moving.

Dang Sarah A. Hoyt! Every time I have a thought that is original - or as close to original as it's possible to get in this world, I click on her blog to see what she's up to, and find that she has beaten me to the punch.

Not fair!

Surely, somewhere there is an unethical lawyer (one not already working for the government) who will help me craft a lawsuit that addresses this problem.

FWIW - Kamala Harris

I try not to judge kids on their parents' reputation (or, actual knowledge of the nefarious deeds they committed).

But the strenuous efforts the Media made to conceal this make it likelier than not there is some truth to this report.

Read the whole thing - the intertwined nature of the relationships of the Left will leave you agog. It's positively an incestuous nest of what in the old days were just called "Commies".

"I Follow the SCIENCE!"

If you're like most people using that phrase (even including those that actually ARE scientists), no, you don't.

At least, not when addressing the subjects about which you are so loftily declaring a refusal to consider other ways of looking at the data - what we call EVIDENCE.

Look, there are some hard-core assumptions in science:

• Newtonian Physics works, as an approximation for most of life's easily observable forces and motions. It might be tweaked by newer aspects of physics (Einsteinian, Quantum), but the basic operating rules pretty much are set in stone.
• When you mix two or more inorganic, non-radioactive, natural and 'pure' substances together, the results of that outcome will be predictable (assuming that the quantities are known). Pure meaning that no contaminants are present.
• The Earth's substance, its rocks and magma, its deeper layers, it's topmost biologic layers, and its atmosphere and hydrosphere - all of those components that make up the planet - are constantly interacting and changing. Claiming to be able to predict the future course of those interactions is just voodoo. You might get lucky, and have your WAG (wild-ass guess) be the eventual outcome. More likely, not.

And, then, there is Science in the Grey Area:

Just about everything we 'kind-of' know about people is based on studies conducted on WEIRD people - Western, Educated, Industrial, Rich, and Democratic. Those people are Western European in heritage, and honestly life in a different world from the rest of the planet. The way they live their lives, the norms they unthinkingly follow, the societal interactions that they engage in - ALL are so different from the rest of the planet (including that part occupied by the Western underclasses) as to make them seem like alien beings. Conducting business with those other peoples, using WEIRD norms, is not only doomed to failure, but likely to get your ass kicked. Fair warning.

So, what am I saying?

Well, when it comes to science, surety of the principles on which you base your assumptions when solving problems is a VERY limited thing. The minute you branch out of those narrow areas where we are PRETTY sure that we understand what's going on and why, you take the risk that you are going to fall flat on your face.

You can shore up your likelihood of being right by doing a LOT of experimentation (like Galileo did with motion - a LOT of VERY tedious observation in a VERY controlled environment). That creates a firmer foundation for your conclusions.

But, you could still be wrong. Many of the areas of science currently under investigation - the 'hot' areas - are both complex, interdisciplinary, and hard to reduce to observable  experimental variables that can be used to justify public policy.

They end up being papers that, in VERY qualified ways, say things like "Under these limited conditions, and in a short time frame, we got these experimental results that SEEMED to show a significant result". Not exactly EUREKA!

And, not something that should justify more than some money released for new research. Not up-ending our economy and political and social structures for a MAYBE good result. Or, no result at all. Or, worst case scenario, a BAD result.

That's the situation we have in social 'science', climate science, and many other areas of controversial study. The results aren't exactly undebatable. The actual data is limited in scope. And, too often, the jackasses claiming to "FOLLOW THE SCIENCE" will admit no deviance from acceptance of the proclaimed results.

That's Anti-Science. Actual science involves releasing the data, the methodology, and the reasoning behind the analysis, and allowing any and all to pick it apart.

It can be frustrating, defending your experiments and conclusions against your enemies, clueless politicians, media looking for a sensational story, and honest critics. But, that is what actual scientists have to do.

Not loftily proclaiming "The science is settled!".

Not aggressively attacking opponents as stupid and anti-science.

Not shutting up dissenters from making their case.

Some Fights Against the Power to Keep an Eye On

In schools - Big Brother is actively recruiting its children to work as Leftist Spies.

This goes WAY beyond civility - it is actively using minors to enforce compliance with poorly defined 'standards of speech', both inside and outside of school.

We need to keep an eye on this, and nip it, now. I'm sure that the people involved in this fight could use publicity, support, and, yes, money to pay lawyers.

Fighting the Trans - A Woman is a Woman, a Man is a Man.

Even if they hack their body parts to pretend otherwise. The writer makes some important points. We have gone from "non-girly girls are still women" to "if you ACT like a stereotypical woman, you ARE a woman".

Despite the still attached male parts.

Read it all. Then, print it out, and leave it in public places. People need to see this.

And, don't forget the MMA Female fighters who suffered head injuries - one who was not told of her opponent's Trans-status before the fight, who, after that fight, never fought again.

It's GOOD to be the Left! Life as a Downtrodden Prole is SO Hard!

Dare I HOPE?

The RNC is - timidly - showing signs of a backbone. The Leftist-infiltrated Commissions should not be in charge of the message that candidates will be permitted to spread. Asking them to monitor the debates - as we have seen with Candy Crowley, in the 2012 televised Obama Coronation Interchange - is ludicrous.

If it weren't for lies, they'd be mute. Not that there will ever be a meaningful penalty for it.

And, the post is right:

Set up an online virtual call. Each side can pick 5 questioners (and those people will put up their information, which can be verified/fisked by others), and they get to ask at least 1 question and a follow-up. Viewers may comment in a VERIFIED comment section (must sign up beforehand, with no trolls or unidentified people permitted - all must submit verification of identity, and be a registered voter).

That may be too much of a free-for-all. Might limit official commenters to 100 or fewer. But, NOT professional media people, partisan hacks, or professional activists. No one making their money from a political side.

Perhaps allow each state to nominate a dozen or so, with the votes for the top 2 from each registered major party - and, yes, Libertarians, Socialists, and Green Party all count. It would be interesting to see how the Libertarians and Socialists put both the GOP and the Dems to the fire.

Maybe have similar formats for regions of states - Northeast, Northwest, Plains, South, Southwest, and even TX as a single region.