COVID19 Factors We Should Consider/Current Events

[Subby]

The States exist as the last meaningful entities to do it by each taking back the powers lost to the federal government handful by handful. Sure, violence and unrest are likely (probably unavoidable), but that is a problem the States have both strategic and tactical advantages in. Smart local and state leaders will be working on the bigger problems of making sure the gears keep turning rather than exclusively preparing for something as relatively trivial as mere armed conflict.

The direction has been towards centralisation of power almost uninterrupted since the inception of the country. What will change to reverse that direction?

Why do you think the federal government and intelligence agencies haven't used the military, and instead opted for fifth generation warfare? Bad optics? The goodness of their hearts?

Same reason you use a rolled up newspaper to squash a bug rather then driving your car into the room to squash it. They don't have too when it's currently working.

But, hey... I guess total collapse with death rates in the tens to hundreds of millions would technically work. It certainly did for Communism every time it's been tried. It's just not an option I want to go with.

Well it's coming because they want to go with it.

[Jason Donaldson]

You guys really do live in a wonderful place. In my country, the state governments hate us too.

Oh, some of them do here, too, Martin.

Part of the beauty of the original design as a federation of states is that it allows a degree of choice between which state or states you choose to live in or deal with. For example, there is a very specific state adjoining mine that I refuse to even travel through unless absolutely necessary, even when it means an extra day of travel and a hotel stay for my family.

Interesting fact about our history: Originally, the term, "The United States" generally took plural verbs, as in "The United States are located in North America." After a certain point, however, the verbs became almost uniformly singular: "The United States is in the Western Hemisphere." (When that happened is left as an exercise for the reader...it's not a hard guess.)

This is a subtle, but very important change that most people don't seem to think about.

[Ads]

You guys really do live in a wonderful place. In my country, the state governments hate us too.

Victoria, reigning champion of hatred toward its citizens, has no plans to relinquish its title - it just appointed Australia’s first 'Parliamentary Secretary for Men’s Behaviour Change'. "The new position has been pitched as part of the Allan government’s efforts to “make Victoria a safer place for women and children”.

The appointee doesn't appear to be a biological female, so I guess that's something.

I'm a little surprised that Tedros and his mates didn't get the WHO pandemic treaty over the line. Only a matter of time, I suppose, with certain countries gagging for another opportunity to surrender sovereignty.

Apparently, bird flu is on the loose again. I have it on good authority that biosecurity stormtroopers are on high alert and my neighbour is a proven snitch, so it seems my chooks are potentially in danger of bureaucratic euthanasia. I'm not allowed to shoot the retards from the health department, or my neighbour, so that is unfortunate.

[Mark Rippetoe]

An excellent piece from Denninger: Disincentives And IQ in [Market-Ticker-Nad]

Why do I bring all this up?

Because if we do not stop destroying the incentives for those on the right end of the IQ bell curve to have kids it will not be all that long before you go to flush the toilet and it won't, your stove, heat and A/C won't work either because there's no power or gas and virtually everything we rely on in the modern world will either kill you or simply not function at all.

Its much worse when people who simply don't have the intellectual chops for a given task are passed in school and given credentials they didn't earn. DEI can best be called Didn't Earn It and it can be fatal -- if not to your life then certainly to the productive output of an enterprise. Yes, we need people to mow the grass on the golf course and an 80 IQ person is fine there, but put a "doctor" label on that same 80 IQ person and he or she is rather likely to kill you.

You see humans of sufficient intelligence are better than rabbits when it comes to the decision to reproduce. Those of lower intelligence, not so much. So long as those on the lower end have enough food to eat that their reproductive functions work and an appropriate physical desire presents itself they will make children. After all the necessary actions to do so and how to perform them are hardwired in all mammals and in fact some of them don't even care about this quaint notion called "consent."

Those of higher intelligence have to believe their kids will have a better future -- or at least an equal one -- otherwise they may well choose to partner off but they won't make kids.

So go ahead and think that asset bubbles are great, false claims about "health care" are fine, that everyone can have a pony, that deficits don't matter and such similar nonsense -- and then make that into law. Indeed even a shitty Barista can be a US Representative -- you don't have to have an IQ > 80 to be elected, as we've all seen. A pair of perky tits and leftist talking points are good enough. You can in fact do all those things without two nickels of intelligence to rub together but you can't force intelligent people to choose to make children.

[smokeyjones]

An excellent piece from Denninger: Disincentives And IQ in [Market-Ticker-Nad]

I'd say that on top of the forces mentioned in that article is also the fact that neither the 80 or 115iq are likely meeting their potential anyway.

Those of higher intelligence have to believe their kids will have a better future -- or at least an equal one -- otherwise they may well choose to partner off but they won't make kids.

In addition to that. Someone who has a bleak view of the future is also less likely to fully invest themselves into it. They won't see the incentive for working hard for themselves either.

Especially in a world of lowered expectations. By lowering the bar, you're not only letting the less intelligent people sneak through. You're lowering the difficulty, so the smarter person doesn't have to try as hard to meet the requirements. While also patting them on the back and telling them they're amazing for doing the minimum.

Up until very recently, human beings tried very hard in life. You didn't procrastinate planting the crops because otherwise your ass was dead. You put your all into building your house or making your clothes because they stopped you freezing to death. Neither your employer or the government was going to bail you out if your ass didn't show up for work. You got up because you had to & were forged under those stresses & pressures.

Modern humans don't have those consequences driving us. And society is currently failing to provide a substitute to push people to work hard & try.

If the environment isn't pushing you then your motivation has to come internally. Sense of duty, to do the right thing, live with meaning, find the "why" for getting up in the morning etc. Religion is a goodie here - convince people to work hard & be good & they'll go to heaven. Or maybe even better, if they're naughty they're getting eternally tortured. Except less people are buying into that these days.

What's left? The argument that at least the system you're waking to be a part in is a good thing? It's noble & just.. Or at the very least, competent and effective at keeping you safe and fed. Looking at whose steering the ship & the course we're on. That one becomes a hard sell as well..

[Mark Rippetoe]

What actually constitutes an act of war? Russia-Ukraine war: Biden gives Kyiv permission to carry out limited strikes within Russian territory using US weapons | CNN Politics

President Joe Biden has given permission to Ukraine to strike inside Russian territory with American munitions, though he has restricted their use so Kyiv can only hit targets over the border close to Kharkiv after Russia made significant advances around the city in the northeastern part of the country close to the Russian border, two US officials told CNN.

“The president recently directed his team to ensure that Ukraine is able to use US supplied-weapons for counterfire purposes in Kharkiv so Ukraine can hit back at Russian forces hitting them or preparing to hit them,” one of the officials said.

The loosening of the restrictions marks a break from long-standing policy and comes amid growing international pressure from close US allies. But it is limited to the area around Kharkiv, and Ukraine has not requested permission beyond that, the official said, adding that they do not anticipate the US widening the area allowed.

[That_guy_Over_there]

Up until very recently, human beings tried very hard in life. You didn't procrastinate planting the crops because otherwise your ass was dead. You put your all into building your house or making your clothes because they stopped you freezing to death. Neither your employer or the government was going to bail you out if your ass didn't show up for work. You got up because you had to & were forged under those stresses & pressures.

Modern humans don't have those consequences driving us. And society is currently failing to provide a substitute to push people to work hard & try.

The problem is that vast portions of the world don't do this. They live off of support from the parts that do. Now we have imported millions of them here to support them in our country. They are having many kids and are not capable of maintaining a modern country. Eventually they will break it and it won't be able to be fixed.

[Mark Rippetoe]

Eventually they will break it and it won't be able to be fixed.

We broke it for them, yesterday. This is a very bad development, and I'm afraid that a lot of people don't appreciate the significance of the ruling Party in the US throwing the opposition candidate in jail using all available means. The Constitutional Republic died yesterday, and it's finally time to start putting Democrats in jail.

How do you respond to a nuclear first strike? With surrender? Or with a nuclear response? I see no other options.

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Observations During The Late Republic

In the late Roman Republic, Patricians, wealthy Plebians, and successful Generals were often prosecuted for crimes (real and imaginary) after they left office and no longer were protected by the office they held. They were prosecuted by their political enemies, as a general rule of thumb, in order to gain power, prevent the individual from gaining further power, and so forth.

One of the key reasons that Julius Caesar broke Roman law and led his Army across the Rubicon River and into Italy was that he knew that his political enemies were going to prosecute him for crimes they believed he had committed while Consul. Once his 10 year term of Pro-Consul of Cis-Alpine Gaul was complete, they would bring charges against him and then have him exiled or executed. He attempted to negotiate with the Senate for amnesty from prosecution in return for relinquishing command of his Legions, but the Senate refused and ordered him to relinquish command and return to Rome alone.

When Julius Caesar refused, he knew (and said) that the die was cast, meaning that he would have to fight a civil war now. And he led his legions into Italy, which ultimately ended the Republic.

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Fox guest John Yoo claims that Republican DAs have to prosecute Democratic officeholders in retaliation for the Trump hush money trial | Media Matters for America

JOHN YOO (LAW PROFESSOR, UC BERKELEY): I think for all of us — all of us Americans, it's not as important what happens to President Trump as a person. It's — what's important is what happens to the presidency and our constitutional system. What does this mean for future presidents? And the weaker that these cases are, the weaker that [Manhattan District Attorney Alvin] Bragg's case is, the weaker that [Judge Juan] Merchan allows a case like this to go forward and get to the jury, the bigger the door is open for any DA in the future to bring charges against a president from the opposite party that they don't like. That kind of harassment of presidents is going to cause them to worry about their legal liability when what they should be doing is focusing on making the toughest decisions on behalf of the American people and on behalf of protecting the country. And do yes, I really do worry. And I think that the only way to put a stop to this, sadly, is for some Republican DAs to prosecute Democratic officeholders, Democratic executive branch officials, Hunter Biden, maybe even Joe Biden. That's the only way, I think, to put a stop to this. Otherwise, what we've seen is a crossing of a constitutional Rubicon where suing presidential predecessors is just going to be the norm.

[wal]

We broke it for them, yesterday. This is a very bad development, and I'm afraid that a lot of people don't appreciate the significance of the ruling Party in the US throwing the opposition candidate in jail using all available means. The Constitutional Republic died yesterday, and it's finally time to start putting Democrats in jail.

Don't the polls suggest DJT is heading for the White House even from a jail cell? Perhaps this latest development is more fuel for the democrat fire and a final motivation for those that do not vote to make him POTUS. Robert De Niro's panic is if he does make it back he will be the last President of the US and that is what is driving the Democratic mania. If this last attempt fails then there is only the bullet.

[Mark Rippetoe]

Don't the polls suggest DJT is heading for the White House even from a jail cell? Perhaps this latest development is more fuel for the democrat fire and a final motivation for those that do not vote to make him POTUS. Robert De Niro's panic is if he does make it back he will be the last President of the US and that is what is driving the Democratic mania. If this last attempt fails then there is only the bullet.

Yes, Hollywood's Foremost Statesman Robert DeNiro is afraid that President Trump is a dictator. He wants to beat up Donald Trump. Trump was President from 2017 to 2021 -- during that period, what did he "dictate"? What authoritarian tyranny was he responsible for? I'm so tired of these panic-mongering assholes telling stupid people what to think, but I'm far more tired of stupid people.