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.

Nudge - The Idea That Human Beings Need to Be Treated Like Irrational Animals

I read Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness.

I actually BOUGHT it (which is generally against my principle to never give a Leftist One Thin Dime). But, I wanted to be able to understand one of the foundational books underlying the Leftist Viewpoint, so I decided the exception was warranted.

It was amazing, to me, to see the contempt and disdain for the average person so openly stated. The Leftist Elite really do think that The Normals make their life choices through mindless, irrational whim - aided by the equally worthless opinions of Other Deplorables.

Many of today's modern programs aimed at corralling those NLDs are a direct outcome of that kind of thinking. The Left deliberately uses FUD (Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt) tactics to create conditions that will allow The Left to force people into a pathway contrary to their best long-term interests.

I was reminded of that book when reading this post in American Thinker. Keep that all in mind when trying to plan your children's educational future (or, your own). That trade school/vocational pathway may prove to be a better choice. Less money spent, greater opportunities for employment (including self-employment).

And, a whole lot of reduction in indoctrination.

Either I'm Gonna Give Up Reading The News, or I'm Gonna Start Drinking - a LOT!

This is just a long trip through Bizarro-Land.

• A white woman in a gorilla mask throws an egg at Larry Newsom. Naturally, the Left cannot be bothered to even NOTICE the racism of this, let alone protest. 
• "It's obvious as heck that hurling eggs at California's first black gubernatorial candidate while wearing a gorilla mask is racist as it gets. After all, there are all kinds of masks out there and this white woman selected the black gorilla mask as her "statement" about Elder, knowing that she'd get her picture with herself in it in the news from this attack."
• I dunno what the CPS cops are like in YOUR neck of the woods, but if I lost even ONE kid, they'd toss my butt in jail. Not these clowns, though. Perhaps the worst part is that they appear to be turned over to human traffickers. 
• The Mask Mandates continue, and WILL continue until that pesky strain of Rebellion-1776 is defeated! God forbid that the Mask Nannies detect any hint of resistance to their authority!
• America is sharply divided into two groups:
• Those that are pathologically afraid to stand in opposition to the dictates of the majority. When large numbers of people immigrated from Europe, many of them were former serfs or otherwise cowed peoples. They brought with them the idea that conformity was the only safe response to state demands. Many who have come here since, were less motivated by the desire to "live free", then the perception that this was a safe place to run to. America is not now, nor has ever been, a safe space. Our heritage is that of a frontier society, in which citizens take risks, and sometimes, those risks pan out, and sometimes, they don't. It's the price you pay for freedom.
• The other group is that one that values freedom, personal responsibility, and is resistant to authority. They are the hillbillies, rednecks, wildcatters, independent truckers, entrepreneurs, and other assorted non-conformists. They often do poorly in school, not because of stupidity, but because the petty tyrants that flourish there are abhorrent to them. They seldom rise far in the ranks of corporations, military, or other hierarchal organizations. 

And, for those concerned about their church caving to government pressure to permit COVID shots, here's a link to a church that opposes the practice - AND has a handy online form to fill out for membership.

Don't forget to send in the money for that membership, too.

Write Their Names Down - and Strike a Line Through Them

Paraphrase from The Quiet Man (starts at 4:28):

From the Daily Caller:

Here Are The 19 Republicans Who Voted In Favor Of The Infrastructure Legislation:

• Roy Blunt of Missouri
• Richard Burr of North Carolina
• Bill Cassidy of Louisiana
• Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia
• Susan Collins of Maine
• Kevin Cramer of North Dakota
• Mike Crapo of Idaho
• Deb Fischer of Nebraska
• Lindsey Graham of South Carolina
• Chuck Grassley of Iowa
• John Hoeven of North Dakota
• Mitch McConnell of Kentucky
• Lisa Murkowski of Alaska
• Rob Portman of Ohio
• Jim Risch of Idaho
• Mitt Romney of Utah
• Dan Sullivan of Alaska
• Thom Tillis of North Carolina
• Roger Wicker of Mississippi

Worthless pieces of Sh!t! I've bolded those who I'm near enough to be able to send money/support to their opponents.

There's a LOT of people in NC that are seriously ticked off at their representation in Washington. I wouldn't doubt that they will do their best to see them go down.

As for Lindsey, McConnell, and Portman, they probably won't be defeated, but they need to be primaried. And, their opposition needs to be vetted - don't need any more charismatic, personable guys with the morals of polecats.

I will be watching the news about those bolded folks. I will gladly spend some time learning more about them, and riding their a$$e$ hard. My goal is to make them terrified to stick their nose out of those ratholes that such vermin usually infest.