Hey, Nothing to See Here

Nothing.

Do you need a map labeled "This is Where You Will Find the Proof They Rigged the Election?"

Keep an Eye on This...

...it will be the Canary in the Mine case.

If the Justice Dept./SEC don't act to stop Google and Facebook's blatantly illegal actions - Google acting as a monopoly, and Facebook facilitating it - it will be clear to the Thinking Person that the USA is bought and paid for by Big Tech/Big Money.

Well, it HAS been, that's obvious (except to the Stupid/Left). But, I expect that the enforcement divisions of the Federal government and the SEC will promptly take all evidence, put it "Under Investigation", refuse to talk about it, as an ongoing case, and, eventually, deliver a Stinging Slap on the Wrist to the offending companies and their leadership. Perhaps with a token fine that amounts to less than 0.1% of a day's profit.

BAD company!

At that point, they will move into their "THAT is already adjudicated, and is yesterday's headline!" phase. A brief period during which prominent politicians carefully avoid taking DIRECT money from the offenders, then back to normal.

[That Direct Money thing? The companies will donate to "good works" as part of their "We're SO sorry, and here's some money to ease our 'conscience' schtick. That money will then trickle down to the politicians that it was always intended for, without DIRECTLY having their fingerprints on it. See the links to and from the Tides Foundation, on Discover the Left,which explains the laundering process.]

The main trouble with these complicated schemes is that the average person, hearing about them, has a MEGO Moment (My Eyes Glaze Over). It's not rocket science, which I actually know a little about, being a former physics teacher, but it requires sufficient attention and brain activity to follow a multi-step process (I would LOVE for the guy who wrote The Big Short to explain this, using a video presentation).

I am lucky enough that I actually took some business classes, including accounting, marketing - my professor included some basic stock market background, and I was interested enough to learn more, and business law. The UCC had just come out with a revision, so I had the textbook that included it. Much of it is actually readable and comprehensible - as many laws are, if you take the time to read them. 

I got sufficient knowledge of the stock market and the SEC that I understood the basics. At least enough to realize, when Martha Stewart got indicted by the SEC, that she had been hit with a sketchy case, and, if not a celebrity, wouldn't have faced more than a small fine.

So, I have long been aware of the political dimensions to prosecution, and the extent to which the press would gladly cover it up, if they could just be fed the information ahead of other reporters, and get to cover a perp walk. That was during the Bush-Cheney administration, lest we forget that the Dims aren't the only villains here.

Hard Times Coming

I'm not one that thinks "the whole country" will collapse. Many parts will suffer, but they will suffer differently.

I was reading Wilder, Wealthy, Wise today, and he seems to anticipate a major meltdown at some point. And, he may be right.

But, I do doubt that the entire country will experience the collapse simultaneously, and in the same way. Some of the differences:

• We're a BIG country. Our climates vary from near-tropical to Arctic. We have deserts, mountains, coastal - both North and South, each having their own challenges, and plains. Each region will face different challenges in coping with economic and governmental pressures.
• The shipping logjam is affecting many parts of the economy. But our biggest industry - food - is not generally on the coasts. The idiocy of CA in shutting off water to the CA farming communities means that they really don't have much of a food supply that isn't shipped in, either from Middle America, or overseas. They better treat their dairy farmers right, as that is one food industry that is still active.
• The Farmbelt is in more trouble than they realize. The recent push for China and Tech Giants to invest in farmland means that they will be highly mechanized, and they will likely not have enough people with the expertise to handle it. They better not expect that the farmers they bought off will come back, hat in hand, to beg for the opportunity to work land they formerly owned. Ain't gonna happen.
• If those high-tech machines break, they will be screwed - they won't have the parts to fix them, nor the people who've learned to work out ways to get the equipment working.
• China needs to get $$$$$ flowing for those investments; for the most part, Asians overpay for their land purchases. They have no clue that land is really cheap in the United States (except for those rarified enclaves that the extremely wealthy live in - and, yes, if you buy a $1 million+ house, you ARE wealthy - you just don't realize it). So, if the Chinese economy tanks - as seems likely at present - they will likely need to sell some of that land - at fire-sale prices. I wouldn't be surprised if some of the same families that sold the land buy it back, cheap.
• Weather patterns will affect the collapse. The North/Midwest/Upper West will experience the pinch first. My bones are telling me this is likely to be a BAD winter. If it is, we'll be in trouble by early January, at the latest. Fortunately, just a few months later, most of the USA gets into Spring thaw time. I'm expecting a MASSIVE RUN on seeds and home garden items at that time. I've already got a lot of my equipment and supplies stored away, and I'll be filling in the remainder by hitting yard sale/resale shop/Facebook Marketplace sales. FB Marketplace is fast replacing yard sales - I've bought some furniture, and it was a great experience.
• By summer, CA will be in trouble. They won't have that bail-out money to keep them going, temps will be miserable, and the state government will be their usual efficient selves. Don't be surprised if the first uprising happens there.
• The South will have a brutal time of it in the warmer months, should the electric supply be affected by fuel prices. I've lived there, and it is energy-sapping in that humidity, when the electricity goes out. I wouldn't be surprised that some uprisings happen - not in the truly poor areas, but urban, and encouraged/facilitated by the "revolutionaries". After all, many of the urban living spaces are dependent on AC. When that goes out, modern apartment buildings and offices can't just open windows. And, many of those areas are just about barren of trees, losing that natural source of protection from the sun. The country will be relatively OK, as country always is. When you're surrounded by trees/vegetation, you may be hot, but you're not likely to die from heat.

A lot of us are concluding the country is on the verge. Some are moving off-grid, or to rural areas where the likelihood of government coming in is reduced. Others are moving to Red states, and working to keep them so.

I moved to a small city that is surrounded by semi-rural towns, in a state that is, outside of a few large cities, a Red State. I'm within about 1/2 hour of family, in a middle class part of the city, where most people work for a living. And, most of the minorities are working class Hispanics. A  small number of Asian and Black people.

My goal is to get a solid foothold with my insurance business, and through that, to identify and build alliances among other residents. I don't expect this all to topple down in a short time - it may take several years of stutter-stepping problems to bring us there. In the meantime, I'll be networking, prepping, and getting ready for hunkering down.

We're a ways - not as far as I would like - but several years away from complete meltdown. Even the current dire situation at the shipping docks will mostly affect non-essential industries. When I say essential, I mean:

- Food - not the processed junk, but raw food. We've been in the habit of sending it overseas for processing, but we could manage to ship unprocessed food via truck and train. The biggest problem will be the increased cost of shipping, due to rising fuel prices.

- Water. I know that treated water is a concern in many parts of the countries. That was a major part of why I chose to move back to the Great Lakes region, where I was born. This region has water treatment facilities, plentiful supplies of H2O, and the ability to crank it out for the local residents. Those in desert regions, or aquifers that are hitting bottom, truly have my sympathy. I have no idea how they will survive.

- Fuel - not merely for truckers and commuters. In a sizeable portion of the North, you need fuel to heat your house in sub-freezing temps. This would be a good time to lay in an alternative source of heat, either portable heaters (electric and/or kerosene), wood heat for those lucky enough to have working fireplace/stoves, or a propane tank. As my house has no wood-based heating, I'll be buying a couple of kerosene heaters, and working on weather-fitting the house. Outlet covers, draft-stoppers, insulated drapes, plastic covers for the windows, insulation for pipes. We lived through 1977, when the upper PA region had an extended cold snap, and we had MONTHS of sub-zero temps. We moved the whole family into one central room and closed the doors, put the kerosene heater to work, piled on the blankets, and slept together for warmth. There were a couple of WEEKS of brownouts (reduced electricity for relatively short time periods). We used lanterns for light. And, we survived.

- Fortunately, we bought a century home, built long enough ago, that central heating was not a standard. The exterior walls are plaster, and the interior is NOT an open floor plan, but has doors that can close off sections to reduce heating needs. We have a full basement, which means that we have the equivalent of an partially earth-sheltered home. Homes with a basement will stay warmer than slab homes. And, in the summer, much cooler on the lower levels, too.

- People who, while not preppers, have a realistic idea of what would be needed, should they not be able to travel to the store several times a week. Even the LEAST prepared family has a stocked pantry, shelf-stable ingredients, and often a freezer filled with meat and fish. Many hunt for food, or have family members who do. That's a natural artifact of living in a region that has massive amounts of snow dumped periodically, storms that take out trees and power lines, and a solidly Euro-peasant heritage that passed along the basic survival skills. Most have snowplows, snowblowers, or shovels and a strong back (or, know someone who could help out in a pinch). We've survived without power for extended times. We've used candles/lanterns. Many have access to a generator or solar panels (that last is of little value in overcast environments, which much of snow country is).

- Those in the country/rural areas can mostly fend for themselves. Those who moved to the country, threw up a mega-mansion (knocking down most of the trees in the process), and spent most of their week commuting, may be in some trouble, particularly if they didn't exert themselves to meet the neighbors and get involved with the community. Some will manage to adapt - probably not many. In the country, without family or long-term friendships, you're kind of a hermit. Few of them manage to survive, unless they are prepared to live off the land.

- Those who are most at risk of being helpless? They extended themselves financially, cannot manage without two incomes, and have a buttload of debt, coupled with over-housing (paying too much money for too much space). If just ONE of their carefully balanced supports is not there, they are SO screwed. They will likely be found in their homes, not willing to leave for cheaper housing, not willing to give up any of their stuff at a discount, to help them relocate in a more manageable location. They will try to hang in there while the Vandals are at the gates of their community.

- The second group that is in trouble? The Dependents - Welfare, Unemployment, SSI, Social Security. They have no other choice, should that support not arrive on time. The elderly without family close by should be looking into other options.

Those who can, should be working on improving their physical fitness. Many of these urban poor are those showing up at those drive-through food pantries, time and again. Many of these are very resistant to changing their current way of life.

Those are the ones that will be taking to the streets, should the bubble burst. Some of them will sit and wait for rescue. Others will grab weapons, and become the Vandals.

The rest? If they have any sense at all, they will pay down debt, buy prep-type supplies (no huge steel cans of oatmeal, just well-stocked shelves and freezers), and prepare to do without energy - or with sporadic access to it - for extended periods of time. Many living in the suburbs will be prepared; others, with as much education and money, will be grasshoppers.

Be an ant, not a grasshopper.

This is a much more optimistic and hopeful story than the original. It's one of the few I could find that DOESN'T have the ant taking pity on the grasshopper, and feeding him in the winter. It also assumes survival, which is not likely.

Behind the Hype of China's Military Capability

I'm not gonna say it's IMPOSSIBLE that China does have a nuclear capability that is far above what we have in the USA.

But, it sure is unlikely.

Think about skirmishes on the China-India border in 2020-2021. Troops of both countries fought to defend their own country's claim to territory. As you can see from the video, it was a no-guns battle that showed how clubs, swords, and spears still have a use in border disputes (as they do in many neighborhood brawls).

Why no guns?

Neither China nor India want a "hot" war. Such a conflict level would be hugely damaging to their economies. Even though both countries have extensive land armies, they do not want that conflict to turn so kinetic as to trigger all-out war.

Now, with that in mind, I'm gonna go out on a limb and state that I don't believe China is eager for, nor prepared for, an actual war. The "news" about their hypersonic capabilities, and the belligerence they have recently shown towards both America, and their allies in the South Pacific, is merely designed to influence the Nervous Nellies in the Biden administration.

IRL, China is weak. They have real opposition, both with their own people, and with Taiwan and Hong Kong, as well. When protests start up, China will step in and threaten, use stealth methods for eliminating opponents, and use technological means to cut off communications. All of which can be done at little cost, and low risk of tipping off a kinetic action.

But, America's Left being, well, LEFT, the Biden-Harris administration will likely fold quickly, and put the USA in a bad position.

Same Old, Same Old.

Now, THAT'S What a Brave Athlete Looks Like

He is Enes Kanter, a Turkish-born NBA player (Celtics), who has publicly criticized China's Human Rights abuses. Click here for a variety of links to news about him (from Bing).

In addition to personally calling out Xi and China's treatment of the Tibetan people, he did not fail to criticize Ergodan, the leader of Turkey.

Naturally, China responded as they always do, blocking the Chinese people from accessing the media coverage of his action, and blocking the Celtics' NBA games in China (thereby depriving the team from getting their share of the loot from the NBA agreement with China).

That general region of Europe (Serbia, Slovenia, Croatia, and Turkey) has contributed most of the non-POC players on professional basketball teams. I say non-POC, although many of them are fairly swarthy, because their heritage is generally European/Asia Minor.

That heritage group includes some unusually tall people (as I understand it, they may have some DNA in common with the also-tall Afghanis). Melania Trump is from that region, too.

Many of them have lived in countries with a history of repressive leadership, and are not inclined to fall in line with Leftist groupthink.

Can't wait to see him on the cover of Sports Illustrated!

/sarc

Chinese Economic Disaster - How Will That Affect US?

Quite a lot, apparently.

The real estate market in China is THIRTY PERCENT of their GDP (Gross Domestic Product). That's HUGE. For comparison, the housing meltdown that was explained in The Big Short composed considerably less of our total economy. Currently, the real estate industry is a smidge over 22% of the GDP in the United States.

And, that is not including the heavy investment of the Chinese government into EVERY facet of the economy. It's safe to say that the margin of error is razor-thin in China - they cannot afford a meltdown of 1/3 of their economy.

The Chinese economy has, for some time, been heavily dependent on exports to the USA and other countries. They depend on the regular payments to keep their country afloat. The economic contraction of COVID was short, and largely offset by the boom China experienced when other 1st World economies cratered.

As so much of the stuff delivered by Amazon was from China, you might even say that they boosted their economy, while delivering a death blow to many American industries.

I was never all that terrified about the "sudden death" propaganda that was coming out in the early days of the COVID Terror. Sudden collapse in the streets? ONLY happened in China, and - amazingly - always seemed to be caught on camera.

But, the death rate, as measured by cremations, didn't fall in line with the scary reports. They just were not losing population in the numbers suggested by the reports. All of which makes me conclude that the virulence of COVID was largely a hoax. Except for the elderly and medically fragile, it was no more than a bad year's flu.

But, back to the Chinese economy. At the above link, one of the commenters posted a staggering statistic:

"To put things into perspective – Real Estate in the USA is worth about the sum total of the entire economy. Western European Real estate is worth about 1.2 times their entire economy.

Real Estate in China is valued at 12 TIMES the entire Chinese economy.

Their subprime collapse is literally going to be at a level that has never been scene in the history of the planet."

I knew that the Chinese Real Estate was overpriced, but this is at a level that will CRUSH China. I would not be surprised at a revolution (because, given that level of a cash flow crisis, there are going to be a LOT of unemployed government functionaries, including their military).

What does that mean for us?

Well, for a while, you are going to have trouble getting your high-tech toys (actual toys, as well as adult gadgets). Vehicle repairs are going to suffer, as will production of new cars, trucks, and farm and industrial equipment.

However, Americans are pretty handy, and I expect that - with a little Redneck engineering - they will manage to bypass the e-sensors and chip control of their vehicles. That will go a long way towards offsetting the damage caused by Chinese collapse.

India and other nearby economies will pick up some of the slack. American companies SHOULD take advantage of this to 'Build Back Better', but I would bet against that, given the hostile forces that have taken over the Federal government.

We will lose a major market for our food, but - what the hell - the world is filled with hungry people. We'll do all right, and should be able to ship overland to American markets with little difficulty. It will cost more, but we can pick up the slack and keep Americans eating 3 squares a day.

I saw this, and just HAD to add a link. Sometimes, I'm still surprised at how Incredibly Stupid people can be.

How about a new animation flick - The Incredibly Stoopids?

Once More, Into Data Analysis to Counter the Left

I actually do "follow the science" - which, the early speculation and numbers cloud the true situation.

I don't mean that as a slam - one of the hallmarks of a sudden crisis is that there WILL be confusion. In the case of a new/emerging disease, that includes:

• What actually caused the outbreak - was it a natural event, or - as we have to consider these days - was it a manipulated or man-caused event?
• A man-caused event is not necessarily one that was created deliberately. It might include disease outbreaks that follow wars, for example. It might include outbreaks that follow politically-motivated reductions of food, or water shortages that follow re-direction of water sources (dam building, siphoning off of an aquifer without regard for normal water usage).
• Was this part of a politically motivated attack? Did a nation/region/power base simply take advantage of an already existing situation, and fail to take steps to damp down the outbreak?
• What steps will reduce incidence? Quarantine is not always the correct solution, but it may be ONE of the methods tried out. Others include looking at sanitation, testing the water supply, and examining the nursing of the ill and disposal of bodies (that last may account for the majority of Ebola spread, due to existing customs).
• What treatments will affect the outcome/duration? Simple good home nursing is a major factor in recovery from many major illnesses:
• Isolate the affected separately in the home, if possible.
• Those that tend the sick wash their hands and clothing after being in contact with them - yes, I know this is an impossible standard for most of the world.
• Nourishing  food and clean water for the ill AND their families.
• Watch the patients to keep their fevers from exceeding a few degrees - administer cool compresses as needed. Watch use of aspirin for extended periods of time - that can lead to other problems. Alcohol rubs in moderation - they work, but the alcohol can also be absorbed through the skin, a problem with the elderly, particularly if thin, and with children.
• Clean up bodily soiling, both in patient and those who provide care. Dispose of waste carefully.
• For many, time and rest are significant factors in healing. Don't rush people back to work or school.

In other "science-related" news, it appears that recycling may be virtually kaput.

Savannah's recycling program is not the only one that continues, but does not actually recycle at all. I'm told by some Cleveland residents that the recycling program just dumps it all into the landfill. For that reason, some are skipping the extra steps, and just dumping it all together.

It can be difficult to find out that the programs are fake. The pro-recycle advocates don't want to discuss it publicly. It's only when you know some people actually working in the field that you can find out that it's all an elaborate fraud.

Fortunately, the news team I-Team was willing to do some actual journalism (how rare these days!).

NO facility takes the plastic bags. so get in the habit of re-using them for lining trash containers, groceries/other purchases, and putting your lunch items into for transport to school/work. There are a few groceries that will collect those flimsy bags, so if you can find one, that's a good alternative.

In most stores, I use insulated bags to transport food, particularly when it will have to stay in the car for an extended period of time. You might want to use those old bags to line such a container, to prevent contamination.

Is Jen Psaki correct in defending Pete Buttigieg's parental leave?

No.

Look, the whole rationale for Parental Leave is that carrying, and giving birth to a human being is exhausting. And, I would personally know.

There is the whole thing of carrying around that increasing weight - anywhere from 25-50 extra pounds of baby, placenta, and fluids. By the 7th month or so, most mothers are finding it necessary to take naps and put their swollen feet up.

It's not just the extra weight. The mother is also needing to consume extra calories for that cute little symbiote. The nutritional demands are 24/7, but Mum can only eat so much, particularly after the growing baby starts crowding her digestive system.

There is loss of sleep, caused by need to urinate more often, difficulty finding a comfortable position in bed, and the fact that SOME of the babies are both nocturnal and energetic. Yes, son, I'm talking to you.

There is the whole birth process - truly called Labor. It can range from barely giving Mum and Dad time to get to the hospital, to 24 hours or more of hard work. What is that like?

Look, the average vagina is easily able to accommodate a male part that is considerably smaller than a cucumber. The infant head ranges from around 4-5 inches in diameter.

Go ahead, check it. There are NO cucumbers that big. Go to a sporting goods store, and find a ball 4-1/2 to 5 inches across. That's what is coming out of that vagina, and IT'S NOT EASY! 

Naturally, after all that (I'm not even going to go into the work involved in breast-feeding), the new Mum will need a little time to recover. The standard is from 6 weeks to 3 months of time off full-time work, and - trust me - it really is needed. Many women have cesareans, which roughly double the time needed to recover.

That's the process that Parental Leave was intended for - to allow that person whose body underwent such an amazing change to heal and rest up. I did it 3 times, and it still took a lot of time to recover.

Eventually, those families that adopted children squawked until the Leave was extended to include them, too. But, honestly, that wasn't the point of the time off. There is no physical reason that the new parent who didn't give birth needs more than a week or two for the transition.

In the case of two men, neither of whom did ANY of the childbirth thing, anything more than a couple of weeks is ridiculously self-indulgent. Buttigieg has a 'husband', and could turn the job over to him, since the transportation system is truly in a crisis state. The American taxpayer has no need to give a fig for whether or not he and his 'husband' bond with the two new kids.

Manufacturing Consent

I was alerted to this book by some noted Leftists - Link Here.

You should click on it, and Share that Link on not-so-social media, if you are still using it.

If you are not, then check out the link anyway, and do as I will to do later today. I will be buying it (although I am generally opposed on principle to direct any of my money in that direction, sometimes knowing what your enemy is up to is critical) - here is the Kindle Link on Amazon.

Oh, wait! I checked with the Library Extension (works with Chrome and the Chrome-like Opera), and, if I'm willing to wait, I can borrow it at my local library.

That's an easy choice!

You may want to buy an actual copy (paperback prices aren't bad at Thriftbooks). It does make it easier to pass it along to others.

That's my plan for the next few years - to begin curating a library of used books related to politics, governance, culture, and history, that I can lend out - whether physical books, or e-books with lending privileges. I anticipate having a lending library for friends and family, and encouraging others to donate books - of ANY persuasion - to the collection.

The more you know...

High Tide is Here - and it Will Continue Until it Floods the Job Market

Not enough is said about the distortions on the job market by illegal immigrants, fake "refugees" that are given priority for admittance, and the foreign-born children of the 'shouldn't even BE here' occupants of this country.

Every time the job market gets a little tight, leading salaries to rise, the reputably-GOP-backing corporate interests start the drumbeat for increased entrance of foreigners. The gates open, the job market is overwhelmed, and it's back to peon wages for Americans.

In many of the tech professions, it's actually worse. Many Americans have spent considerable money to educate themselves to take advantage of STEM job opportunities, only to find that the market is crammed with Asians, and that the managers (often Indian) are not disposed to hire native Americans. Some industries have found that kickbacks from the workers to their managers are common.

The American Mind, a Claremont publication, does a stellar job of outlining the situation, and asking questions that the Biden administration, and the Left, are reluctant to answer (other than to accuse any interrogator of being irredeemably racist).

I've not been posting much lately -either here, or on Liberty's Torch. That is mostly due to the massive amount of work involved in a recent move back to OH. I'm not grudging the work - it was necessary - but will be bogged down in that effort for some time to come.

On top of that, I'm in the beginning of AEP, the Annual Enrollment Period for health insurance (Medicare, Medicaid, and ACA - also known as Marketplace or Obamacare). A lot of my business is conducted by video/audio conferencing, which cuts down on the travel, but also keeps me tied to my phone.

I'll work on posting at least twice a week - maybe Tuesday and Thursday?

I'm working on getting back into touch with friends, online and offline. I've missed a few connections (I tend to get DEEP into projects, and just lose track of time. I did so today, when I plumb forgot a book club meeting.)

I pulled out my handheld radio, and got it charged and set up. I had to print out another copy of my HT manual, but I was able to get it back in operation (I think). No traffic right now - it tends to be heavier during morning and evening rush hours. But, I'll be monitoring it over the next few days, and hope I will begin to make some local contacts.

The house is slowly - VERY slowly - taking shape. It has been complicated by:

• Not being able to quickly plan out trips - I have no knowledge of where things might be found. Several times, I traveled to a store, only to find out that it is now closed - often, a 'COVID casualty'.
• Fatigue - I'm not sleeping well. When I do get up, I'm often still tired.
• The weather is playing hell with my joints. Today is the first day that I haven't been in major pain.

It will get better. It is just taking a lot longer than I would like.

Waving the Bloody Shirt

It's a long tradition in American politics - in fact, it was used in the immediate aftermath of the Civil War (mostly by Republicans, although by Democrats, as well), and only stopped because the North needed Southern votes to avoid a stalemate. In that instance, the North could not get sufficient votes to elect a president - Rutherford Hayes. The South shrewdly played politics, and only agreed to permit the electoral college to declare a clear 'winner' when the North agreed to end Reconstruction.

The Left/Progressives/Dems are using the Alleged Insurrection as a Bloody Shirt (ironically, the only death due to enemy action - as opposed to from medical issues - was that of the Pro-Trump Ashli Babbitt, who was gunned down in cold blood by Michael Leroy Byrd, a Capitol Police officer).

But, the facts won't stop the transparent attempts to whip up partisan hysteria. The Left has declared that the "Insurrection" was a violent attack on the Dems, and, like the Captain of Star Trek, they have waved their hands and declared, "Make it so."

The complete collapse of any pretense of abiding by long-established rules of Congress, the Judicial branch, and the Executive branch is accelerating. People are trying to avoid seeing what is plainly before them, and focusing on other things - ANY other thing - to avoid a terrible choice:

Either make a stand NOW, or live as a slave forever.