Half the harm that is done in this world is due to people who want to feel important. They don’t mean to do harm; but the harm does not interest them. Or they do not see it, or they justify it because they are absorbed in the endless struggle to think well of themselves.
T. S. Eliot
“The Cocktail Party” (1949), Act 1, scene 1.
[H/T to Phssthpok.
A search for the context of this quote led me to this gold mine of quotes created by Thomas Sowell.—Joe]
The study of history is a powerful antidote to contemporary arrogance. It is humbling to discover how many of our glib assumptions, which seem to us novel and plausible, have been tested before, not once but many times and in innumerable guises; and discovered to be, at great human cost, wholly false.
Paul Johnson
1980
The Recovery of Freedom by Paul Johnson
[Via Thomas Sowell.
My web wanderings for the original source resulted in stumbling across this web page. I now have Intellectuals in my Audible library.—Joe]
So a child diddler, a domestic abuser, and a felon all walk into a bar. And Kyle says: “shots are on me”
breadmoth
November 8, 2021
Comment to FBI surveillance video shows Rittenhouse’s actions before he shot 3 people
[I have nothing to add.—Joe]
Before he was elected mayor of New York City last week, Eric Adams raised some eyebrows by saying he would carry a handgun to protect himself and any houses of worship he might visit. While those remarks were controversial, the real scandal is that ordinary New Yorkers cannot legally carry guns for self-defense — a privilege that Adams takes for granted as a former police officer.
Jacob Sullum
November 10, 2021
Supreme Court should reject law that keeps ordinary people from carrying guns for self-defense
[Of course. The most foolish mistake they could possibly make would be to allow their subjects to posses arms.
See also here for more context and commentary.—Joe]
Those with small genitalia compensate with guns.
Let People Vote @FlipBlue2022
Tweeted on November 11, 2021
[It’s not only another Markley’s Law Monday it’s another science denier!
Via a tweet from In Chains @InChainsInJail.—Joe]
My guess: if it happens again, the judge will grant the mistrial with prejudice and a lot of findings about the prosecution motives, and how they kept screwing up even after he warned them. If it doesn’t, the judge will wait for the verdict. If not guilty, no need to rule. If guilty, he grants a new trial.
David Hardy
November 11, 2021
Still more disasters in Rittenhouse case
[Interesting hypothesis.—Joe]
I’m hoping #KyleRittenhouse and #NickSandmann end up with their yachts parked side-by-side trading caviar and champagne on the proceeds from their lawsuits against the legacy media.
Chris Knox @ChrisKnox_AZ
Tweeted on November 11, 2021
[He left out the part about the reporters and editors responsible for the lies have low paying jobs on their hands and knees cleaning the bilges of the yachts with toothbrushes.—Joe]
This is the kill shot. The idea that it was not self-defense is absurd. Two guys giving chase, one fired a gun into the air as a “warning shot”—Ziminski & Rosenbaum were intent on murdering #Rittenhouse.
Firearms Lawyer @firearmslawyer
Tweeted on November 9, 2021
[He is referring to this tweet and video:
This is drone video the state go ahold of Friday. It shows #KyleRittenhouse shoot Joseph Rosenbaum. It’s the clearest, steadiest video of that shooting.
Jury watched multiple versions including one that was cropped, zoomed in & slowed down by the crime lab pic.twitter.com/lCjTawdcIi— Kristen Barbaresi (@KristenBarbar) November 9, 2021
I find it very “interesting” this FBI video was not made available until the middle of the trial. If it had been then there would have been a good chance Rittenhouse would have had the charges dropped. I would like an investigation to see why the FBI withheld this for so long and, if legally justified, see a prosecution for this withholding of evidence and deprivation of rights under color of law.
This is a side note but I find it an interesting hypothesis… Some commentators have been saying that the prosecutor is doing such a poor job that they suspect it is intentional to make sure Rittenhouse receives justice (acquittal).—Joe]
If you’re going to use Native Americans to prop up the gun debate, let me chime in. As a Native American and a history buff of some longevity, trust me, if the American Government asks you to disarm, it is NEVER going to work out in your favor. WE KNOW THIS FROM EXPERIENCE.
BasedApe @A_Based_Ape
Tweeted on October 31, 2021
[Keep saying no until you run out of ammo.—Joe]
America’s gun problem is a psychological problem. Somewhere along the way we became rather mentally ill, with no means to address it.
LisaCM @LisaCM9
Tweeted on November 7, 2021
[You might think this is referring to the crazies who refuse to respect the Bill of Rights. That would be a reasonable assessment of them but that isn’t what she is referring to. She is referring to those who want to enforce the 2nd Amendment.
This is what they think of you and the specific enumerated right to keep and bear arms.—Joe]
A unique patient identifier will weaken health care by making individuals reluctant to share personal information—such as drug and alcohol use and past sexual history—with health care providers. It will also discourage sick individuals from seeking medical care for fear their physicians will discover they are unvaccinated, smoke, are overweight, or engage in other unapproved behaviors.
A unique medical ID could also be tied to government records of gun purchases. Someone with “too many” guns could be labeled a potential mental health risk and harassed by law enforcement. This is especially likely if the gun grabbers are successful in their push to enact “red flag” laws in every state.
Fortunately, there is a growing resistance to vaccines and other mandates. This resistance is unlikely to passively accept a federally-issued unique patient identifier. If those of us who know the truth take advantage of the opportunity presented by the resistance to COVID tyranny, we can not only stop the scheme to force every American to obtain a “unique patient identifier” but end all government control of our health care.
Ron Paul
November 11, 2021
Resist the Unique Patient Identifier!
[One thing he didn’t mention that I suspect will develop is a black market in health care. This will include all the quality control and fraud issues of black markets.
I fully support Paul in his goals and appreciate his efforts. However, I suspect Paul is a bit too optimistic. My bet is the only way we will get government to stop controlling our health care is by an economic collapse of the Federal government.
Prepare appropriately.—Joe]
I own my gun for lawful purposes, so why am I unfairly targeted like I’m the next mass shooter? It’s discrimination to judge me based on the gun I own.
UR a Smart Ass, Carl @cleflore23
Tweeted on November 6, 2021
[I would probably describe it as “prejudice” (pre judging) rather than “discrimination”, but the general sentiment is certainly correct. In general, anti-gun people are not nice people and many are demonstrably evil.—Joe]
I will not comply with your illegitimate mandates. IT-WILL-NEVER-HAPPEN. And if you think you can use leverage to force me to comply, threatening me with poverty and death through economic discrimination, then I will view your actions for what they are – An attack on my freedoms and my life. I will therefore respond in kind and eliminate the threat by any means necessary, and, I will be justified in doing so, constitutionally, rationally, scientifically and morally.
Covid cultists like Chomsky, most of them leftists and socialists, should keep this in mind as they continue down this path. They think that the greater good is on their side but this is a fantasy driven by their own hunger for dominance. The question you need to ask yourselves is this: Do you really think your desire to force the mandates and your political ideology on me is greater than my will to stop you and remain free? Are you ready to risk death to impose the vax mandates? Because I am ready to risk death to end them.
Brandon Smith
November 4, 2021
Noam Chomsky Goes Off The Deep End – Proving That All Socialism Leads To Tyranny
[See also what Solzhenitsyn, Thoreau, and I have said about intentions.
Update: Add C.S. Lewis to the list.—Joe]
Rural Oregon is declaring as loudly as it can that it does not consent to being misgoverned by Oregon’s leadership and chooses to be governed as part of a state that understands rural Oregon’s values and way of making a living.
…
We call on the Oregon Legislature to not dare to hold these counties captive. Let the people decide which legislature they shall govern themselves by. This week’s poll shows that Idaho is ready to accept our counties.
Mike McCarter
President of Move Oregon’s Border and Citizens for Greater Idaho
Oregon county votes to join “Greater Idaho” in rejection of progressive Portland policies
November 3, 2021
[Another step toward a national divorce.—Joe]
Some have argued that addressing the climate crisis may require rethinking society’s basic organizing principles, including capitalism itself. It may also increasingly lead many to question the fundamental tenets of the American constitutional order.
Daniel Epps
November 3, 2021
How the US supreme court could be a threat to climate action in the US
[It’s nice of them to essentially admit what has long been suspected. It’s not about the climate. It’s about the destruction of free society and the implementation of an authoritarian state.—Joe]
Chipman proved in this interview – again – why he was never qualified for job of ATF Director. He continues to lie, telling any reporter willing to let him rehabilitate his shattered veneer of a benevolent law enforcement professional from what America truly saw. Chipman is, has been and always will be, an advocate for gun control who would have used the ATF as a cudgel against the industry that provides the means for Americans to exercise their Second Amendment rights.
The problem with Chipman’s nomination was Chipman. In this interview, he made that case against his own nomination better than the industry ever could.
Larry Keane
October 29, 2021
CHIPMAN SPOUTS LIES TO SMEAR THE FIREARM INDUSTRY
[A leopard doesn’t change its spots. Anti-gun activists always lie and deceive. It’s part of their culture. I suspect they lie so frequently and so habitually that they become unable to tell the truth.—Joe]
Vanguard elite communists don’t care that you recognize their hypocrisy because they believe their hypocrisies to be trivial to their holy mission of creating heaven on earth… and that you cannot stop them.
Adam Baldwin @AdamBaldwin
Tweeted on November 1, 2021
[I just finished the book Dear Reader. It is a fascinating, and horrifying, look into the mind of an elite communist.
Baldwin is not wrong. Some of our politicians let slip glimpses of their true nature which is fully revealed in people like Kim Jong Il. If given the power they crave and believe they deserve the horror unleased is terrifying. The Great Terror could well be a how-to story rather than a warning.—Joe]
What is wonderfully surprising is the spontaneous emergence of a pure gold currency in a remote region of southeastern Venezuela around the towns of Tumeremo and El Callao. The region abounds with precious metal ores and has a long history of luring prospectors and miners seeking their fortunes. Today, however, many of the larger mines are controlled by the government military, which is battling local gangs and guerillas. Despite the violence and lawlessness, jobless Venezuelans from far and wide are flooding into the area to work in thriving illegal mines in exchange for payment in gold nuggets. As a result, gold flakes, which are peeled off raw nuggets with hand tools, have become the currency of choice in the region with prices for commodities and services quoted in grams of gold. Half a gold gram buys you a one-night stay in a local hotel, while a meal for two at a Chinese restaurant and a haircut will cost you a quarter of a gram and an eighth of a gram, respectively. The gold flakes are carried in people’s pockets—usually wrapped in the nearly worthless bolivar notes. While some shops are equipped with scales to weigh the gold flakes, most sellers and their customers have become so familiar with the flakes that they evaluate them by sight. For example, the barber and his customer who transacted for the haircut agreed that three gold flakes equaled the one-eighth gram price (approximately $5.00). Gold is also starting to penetrate the nearby cities, such as the regional capital Ciudad Bolivar, as stores in shopping malls gladly accept the gold in exchange for dollars from miners who are seeking to cash out.
Joseph T. Salerno
October 28, 2021
Venezuelans Turn to Gold Nuggets as the Local Currency Implodes
[From reading the article you can see how the use of other precious metals would also be a useful currency as well. Brass, steel, and copper jacketed lead would seem to be quite useful in getting and maintaining access to the mines and protecting private mints.
This may be coming soon to a country near you. Prepare appropriately.—Joe]
Our gun research has focused on testing the taken-for-granted claims of gun culture.
Are gun owners especially fearful? Do guns help people to sleep better at night? Do guns make people happier? Do guns enhance satisfaction in life? Do guns compensate for sexual dysfunction in men? In each case, the answer has been no. Our general aim is to contribute to more evidence-based discussions of the role of guns in society.
Terrence D. Hill
Associate sociology professor at The University of Texas at San Antonio.
October 27, 2021
[Via email from Therefore.
While this isn’t an example of Markley’s Law, it is a commentary on it.
Now we can say, with confidence, people demonstrating Markley’s law are science deniers.—Joe]
We are one step closer to putting the Biden administration back in its place by limiting government to its enumerated powers. It’s time citizens and courts said no to tyranny. The Constitution does not need to be rewritten, it needs to be reread.
Michael Yoder
October 29, 2021
Judge Blocks Biden Admin From Firing Unvaccinated Employees With Pending Religious Exemptions
[The part about being “one step closer” is an exaggeration unless your step size is measured in fractions of an angstrom. But I have no disagreement with the rest of it.—Joe]