Many Americans are waking up from their slumber and discovering the hangover of tyranny in the guise of safety.
Rob Schneider (@RobSchneider)
Tweeted on October 2, 2021
[I have nothing to add.—Joe]
Quote of the day—Jennifer Granick
Trawling through Google’s search history database enables police to identify people merely based on what they might have been thinking about, for whatever reason, at some point in the past. This is a virtual dragnet through the public’s interests, beliefs, opinions, values and friendships, akin to mind reading powered by the Google time machine. This never-before-possible technique threatens First Amendment interests and will inevitably sweep up innocent people, especially if the keyword terms are not unique and the time frame not precise. To make matters worse, police are currently doing this in secret, which insulates the practice from public debate and regulation.
Jennifer Granick
Surveillance and cybersecurity counsel at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).
Exclusive: Government Secretly Orders Google To Identify Anyone Who Has Searched A Name, Address And Telephone Number
[As I have mentioned before I’ve been impressed with Granick on Internet freedom issues.
Avoid the use of Google. They are evil. Use DuckDuckGo or something similar, use a privacy window in your browser and consider using a VPN such as Private Internet ACCESS.—Joe]
Dominos?
There are a number of indicators of interest to me around the world.
What You Need to Know About Evergrande
the company scrambles to find funds, construction has stalled on its projects, putting the future of the 1.4 million properties that it has committed to building in doubt. The situation has sparked protests at Evergrande headquarters in Shenzhen, China. Protestors included contractors owed money by Evergrande and those who have paid for a home that may now never be built.
“Regardless if it is a port, vessel, or warehouse, when one becomes impacted, it quickly results in a downward spiral as delays accumulate,” Maersk’s update reads. “We see pockets of improvements, only to get setbacks when our operations encounter new COVID-19 outbreaks and lockdowns.”
Households Brace for Higher Winter Heating Costs as Natural Gas Prices Vault
The relentless rise in natural gas prices continued on Oct. 6, highlighting the looming threat to U.S. households bracing for higher heating costs in the event of a harsh winter.
U.S. natural gas futures were up 1.11 percent at $6.312 per million British thermal units (mmBtu) in early trading on Oct. 6 after jumping around 9 percent a day earlier to settle at $6.312 per mmBtu, their highest level since 2008.
While gas prices in Europe and Asia have more than tripled this year, the United States has largely been shielded from the global crunch because of plentiful supplies. While U.S. natural gas is trading around the $6 per mmBTu mark, it’s at around $30-plus in Europe and Asia.
But experts warn the global natural gas crunch could have ripple effects, with possible impacts on households in the United States.
Those are just a sample.
Housing material is expensive and difficult to find. Labor is in short supply too.
The U.S. government is going to increase the debt even though everyone knows they can’t possibly pay off the existing debt. The situation of other governments, world wide, is not much different.
Closer to home is the drought this summer blew away the previous all time record in terms of total rainfall in Clearwater County Idaho. The yields were 1/3 to 1/2 of normal with very low quality. The drought wasn’t just local either.
It is not difficult to envision a domino effect and things go completely bonkers
Prepare appropriately. I want an underground bunker in Idaho.
Quote of the day—Andrew Yang
I’m confident that no longer being a Democrat is the right thing.
Andrew Yang
October 4, 2021
BREAKING UP WITH THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY
[That thought will get a lot of support in my circle of gunnies!
Before you even think he might be inclined to side with Libertarians or Republicans (from the same post):
I donated to Bernie Sanders’ campaign – everything he said struck me as true
…
When Trump won, I was surprised and took it as a red flag and call to action. Having spent six years working in the Midwest and the South I believed I had some insight as to what had driven Trump’s victory. I spent several years making the case for what I believed was the major policy that could address it – Universal Basic Income.
I saw nothing in his blog post that indicates he has changed these beliefs. As recently as September 27, 2021 he was still enthusiastic for UBI.
That said, Yang resonated with a lot of people. And having that pull someplace outside the Democrat party is probably a good thing. It helps split the political left.—Joe]
Ugly behavior
Via email from Chet who says, “The crack down/revolt is just beginning”:
Education leaders decry ‘ugly’ behavior by attendees at Washington state school board meetings
It wasn’t their mask mandate to make, but school officials are getting the heat all the same.
…
To reduce the chances for these types of conflicts, some school districts have resorted to calling the police preemptively to monitor meetings, Aune said, or moved their meetings online. The Seattle School Board, seeing cases arise across the state and country, brought on extra security to monitor in-person meetings and escort staff back to their cars over the summer, said Chandra Hampson, the board’s president. To make sure there was enough security at schools when the year began, the board briefly returned to remote sessions. Meetings will resume in person later this month.
Across the country, there have been similar displays, prompting the National Association of School Boards to call for the involvement of the FBI, the Department of Justice and other law enforcement authorities.
While I think a lot of the “facts” quoted by the anti-vax and anti-mask people are taken out of context and/or distorted the politicians believing they have the legitimate power to shut down the economy and force people to accept injections get zero support from me. In fact, I’m sometimes cheering on those opposing the politicians even though I think the opposition is for the wrong reasons.
We live in interesting times. The “ugly behavior” is likely to get uglier on all sides. Prepare appropriately.
Quote of the day—Cantankerous Socialist @Cante12175815
Bless, did I hit a nerve Cletus
Perhaps you need to visit a gay bar and get rid of all that pent up frustration.
Toodle pip
xxx
Cantankerous Socialist @Cante12175815
Tweeted on September 20, 2021
[This was in response to receiving the honor of a Markley’s Law Monday quote of the day a couple weeks ago.
I would like to thank Cantankerous Socialist @Cante12175815 for confirming my previous diagnosis.—Joe]
Quote of the day—sploosh @SploooshSploosh
Frail Penis Coalition rails against president from 20 years ago to cover up their frail penises.. Doesn’t this get tiresome when there are 400 million guns in the US?
sploosh @SploooshSploosh
Tweeted on September 26, 2021
[It’s another Markley’s Law Monday! H/T to In Chains @InChainsInJail.
When the advocates for the criminals attempting to infringe upon a specific enumerated right have nothing but childish insults you know they are getting really desperate for quality workers. Are these people unpaid interns? Or are they registered sex offenders who cannot get any other job?
It doesn’t really matter. We have SCOTUS decisions they have nothing.—Joe]
Temporary safety versus essential liberty
Bullet sale
I just purchased some bullets (not loaded ammo) from Black Bullets International. They had a flash sale of 15% off if you used the coupon code BBIFLASH15 with purchases of 50 pound boxes. I’m not sure when the sale expires. Act fast if you are interested.
Quote of the day—Per Bylund
Government’s track record in creating public goods that are of actual value to people and that do not waste resources is nothing short of dismal. Then add the public choice aspect to the whole thing, that politicians have their own interests and therefore may not pursue the public good even if they know it. The assumption that government will fix the economy and increase our standard of living beyond what entrepreneurs can do is unbearably naïve.
I do not think these problems matter much to proponents of MMT, however. Because it is not a theory of how the economy works and so does not concern itself with worldly things like production, innovation, entrepreneurship, scarcity (other than as potentially causing inflation), or time. It is a pseudoreligious conviction that anything is possible and that the one and only solution is always Glorious Government.
Per Bylund
September 14, 2021
The Political Alchemy Called Modern Monetary Theory
[This article is the best explanation I have read on why MMT cannot work.
Some of big takeaways not outlined in the quote above:
- Government creation of currency is not the same as creating money.
- Government spending diverts resources from meeting the demands of the public markets.
- Reducing the production of goods and services in the market result in inflation.
- Idle/unused resources are sometime idle/unused for a good reason and are best left that way for now.
Previous critiques have left me somewhat unconvinced. I was certain MMT was fatally flawed, but I couldn’t find the clear flaws and conclusively prove to myself it was a terrible disaster in the making I was certain it had to be. This article was a huge help to me.—Joe]
A step in the right direction
Via email from Rolf.
Thousands cleared by judge’s ruling will seek gun arrest damages
A decision by U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth in another fight over guns created by the local government in Washington means it could be getting costly for taxpayers there.
It’s because the judge’s decision “has cleared the way for claims for damages by as many as 4,500 people” who were arrested under the now-defunct law against carrying handguns in public.
The problem was outlined by constitutional expert Jonathan Turley, who explained the specific case applies to six people, but the damages could be claimed by thousands.
“Those rising costs do not seem to register with the D.C. City Council,” he explained. “The city could appeal and argue that, at the time of the arrests, it was not clear that the underlying law was unconstitutional.”
Lamberth, however, already rejected that claim and ruled that the law was clearly unconstitutional when the city passed it.
The decision from Lamberth noted how D.C. effectively had “banned non-residents from possessing a firearm,” and prevented anyone “from carrying a weapon in public.”
It’s not a prosecution under 18 USC 242, but it’s a step in the right direction.
Bolt action
I recently received a gift from son-in-law Jacob:
Yes, it’s a bolt action pen in a nice box.
I’m using it to sign documents associated with guns and explosives.
Free to a good home
I recently sorted through all my all reject brass from years of reloading. I discovered I had a fair number of 357 Sig cases. I cleaned, dried, and bagged them. My guess is there are between 100 and 125 pieces.
I have no interest in reloading them so they are free to a good home. Send me an email or text message if you can meet in the Seattle area or near Moscow or Orofino (or Sandpoint or Coeur d’Alene the 14th –> 16th of this month) in Idaho. Or if you want to pay the postage I would ship them to you.
Quote of the day—Catherine Clifford @CATCLIFFORD
There have to be more people at different levels in the organization, in different parts of the organization, who are given the platform and the ability to initiate, to mobilize, to move things forward. It doesn’t only live at the C-Suite.
And ideally, if it’s done well, each person, no matter what part of the company you’re in, feels that they have a stake in this climate change response. Nobody is exempting themselves because they don’t know enough about climate. An effective response is one where everyone has something to add here and is a part of the response.
Catherine Clifford @CATCLIFFORD
September 26, 2021
Climate psychologist says neither gloom-and-doom nor extreme solution-obsessed optimism is the best way to discuss climate change productively
[I knew there were dog psychologists, horse psychologists, and I found out there are cat psychologists and even cow psychologists. But climate psychologists? Wow!
I wonder if she has a heavy client load. Are there a lot of climates in need of a shrink?
To be fair, I poked around a little bit I can can’t find where she claims she helps climates with their mental health issues.
I do wonder about her mental health some though. She seems to presume facts not in evidence. I’m fairly certain her claim that everyone should feel “they have a stake in the climate change response” is not true. For example, there are those who are more concerned about another ice age putting a sheet of ice a mile thick over southern Canada and the northern states than the possibility of a dozen feet of ocean rise. Hence, if we really think we can affect the climate then we should error on the side of keeping the earth warm rather than on keeping it cool.
Does she want those people to feel like they have a stake in the climate change response? Or is she is living in a delusional world where everyone agrees with her view of reality. In other words, is she a liar or delusional? It could be both, but I have insufficient evidence to conclusively determine which.—Joe]
Quote of the day—Jim Bovard
The FBI’s power and federal legitimacy are far more tenuous than Washington recognizes. Beyond the nation’s big cities and the coastlines, federal authority hinges largely on the consent of local citizens. Once that consent vanishes, FBI agents are left to sit in their cars eating their lunches all by themselves. But plenty of pundits and congressmen still clamor for the government to confiscate everyone’s guns or forcibly inject their children. If the feds came in and started shooting mountain men who refused to surrender their firearms, they would likely quickly find themselves in a worse plight than Custer at the Little Big Horn.
Jim Bovard
September 27, 2021
He Thought I Was an Undercover Fed
[Consent of the governed is a concept in our country’s founding documents. With a nearly $30 Trillion debt, incredible overreach of the U.S. Constitution’s limits, and blatant violation of our specific enumerated rights, it is long past time to revoke consent.—Joe]
Quote of the day—Jefferson Mack
LEADERS ARE NOT TO BE TRUSTED AND FOLLOWED, THEY ARE TO BE CONTROLLED AND LIMITED.
Jefferson Mack
1986
Secret Freedom Fighter: Fighting Tyranny without Terrorizing the Innocent, page 61.
[Lots of good stuff in this old document.—Joe]
$1 trillion platinum coins
There’s a loophole in the law that prescribes the types of coins that can legally be minted in the US, and it would allow the Treasury Department to mint a $1 trillion platinum coin, deposit it at the Federal Reserve, and then continue paying its bills as normal. This simple solution would let Congress sidestep what Rep. Bill Foster of Illinois told Insider was a “silly rule that we make up for ourselves,” which requires Congress to vote on raising the debt ceiling every time the US reaches the borrowing limit.
It’s an idea New York Rep. Jerry Nadler has long promoted. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi told reporters on Tuesday that Nadler raised the possibility of minting the coin in a meeting with Democrats to bypass the partisan fights on raising the debt limit. In 2013, when Republicans were refusing to raise the limit under President Barack Obama, Nadler told Insider that he was disappointed the Obama administration would rule out “one of the very few bargaining chips it has,” referring to minting the coin.
.Oh, yeah, now I remember:
I’m sure it will turn out different this time. After all, this is just a few coins distributed only to the Federal Reserve. That makes it totally different, right?
It would be more honest if they made the coins out of lead. But honesty is not their strong suit.
These people can’t be so ignorant and/or stupid so as to believe this is anything other than a means to destroying the nation. This must be a deliberate plan of destruction.
I hope they enjoy their trials.
Quote of the day—Kevin Sorbo @ksorbs
We should have left our guns for the Australians not the taliban.
Kevin Sorbo @ksorbs
Tweeted on September 26, 2021
[I have nothing to add.—Joe]
First treated as the Second
Via a tweet by JPFO.
Quote of the day—JPFO
The tyranny of BATFE must end. It’s corrupt purpose is self-evident: You would never consider leading the Aviation Administration with people afraid to fly—you pick pilots, aircraft designers, industry leaders, so the industry can flourish. By proposing an agency head who hates the industry under its thumb, it’s obvious what feds seek—not protection of our property and rights.
By trying to put people in charge who detest America’s 120 million gun owners, the federal government shows its disdain for the Bill of Rights. Can you imagine if this industry that supplies us with arms and keeps us all safe had people in government they could trust? No? Of course not, all the more reason to scrap this unconstitutional gang of criminals. We do not need hostile anti-rights partisans associated with the ungun cabal like the Bradys, Giffords, Bloomberg astroturf Moms. That’s like asking landlubbers to be lifeguards.
JPFO
September 24, 2021
WHAT IS THE LOGIC OF HAVING A FEDERAL AGENCY LED BY PEOPLE WHO WANT THE INDUSTRY TO DIE?
[It is a rhetorical question. Of course everyone knows what the logic is.
This latest insult of nominating David Chipman as the head of the ATF should go in the evidence file to be used at their trials.—Joe]