COVID19 Factors We Should Consider/Current Events

[David A. Rowe]

Why is any of that a crime? Ticket them for whatever you pulled them over for and drive on.

I picked those specifically to form a common example through a hypothetical.

1. Possession of methamphetamine or cocaine is automatically a felony. The amount I mentioned, separate packaging, etc. may also qualify for state laws for "intent to deal/deliver" that carry harsher penalties.
2. Many states now have statutes that make simultaneous possession of those previously mentioned controlled substances with a firearm, legal or otherwise, also a felony.
3. The simultaneous possession of cash, especially in large amounts, may or may not qualify it to be seized along with the controlled substances or firearms. Cash, after all, is damned hard to track, so law typical leans on possession.

The amounts and cash listed here also point to another obvious issue: these controlled substances, and the industry that produces and provides them, is international, organized, and absolutely leverages weak border security. All of it is further enhanced by corruption. This means that any federal agency with jurisdiction will also want to be involved due to interstate trafficking, and will also take a large portion of the "proceeds."

As a law enforcement officer, you are not allowed by law to ignore the enforcement of any of these things. So, let's say I do, and I'm eventually discovered. Not only have I drawn the ire of investigative authorities, but they're going to dig deep. Doing so on a matter of principle is so statistically insignificant compared to corrupt cops that, in addition to be permanently barred from working law enforcement, I'm jailed and prosecuted. They will upend my life, sure, but also my wife and children. Perhaps rightfully so because I think we can all agree, at least, that corruption in law enforcement needs to be looked into.

Where does that leave me? Is that a viable strategy to spend my life on? What goals will I accomplish?


I do always ticket them, though, and I don't write many tickets.

The only reason any of that might be a crime is money. Some people found it financially advantageous to make certain things illegal. Drugs are a weapon and cash oriented business because it's illegal. And prohibition has never worked. Make it legal. Why shouldn't it be legal for fuckups to fuck themselves up and the rest of us to have an occasional good time? Treat it like alcohol. Card for it, tax it if you must, regulate the production.

If we're speaking about the ethical, moral and legal aspects of prohibition, then I think we'd find a lot of common ground. In fact, I'd say that it's such a deep issue that relying solely on law, law enforcement and the judicial system (look at that... all three branches of government) are a failing strategy that has been demonstrated clearly. It's like trying to argue over whether to use a fire extinguisher or a blanket on our burning ship in the middle of the ocean, but the ships are painted with thermite and glued together with napalm. More on this below.

As to asset forfeiture, it's been a problem for decades. There are towns we know better than to drive through. We Need to Talk About Civil Asset Forfeiture

I can't think of any situation that asset forfeiture is appropriate for. The penalty for a crime is loss of freedom. Because freedom is everything. That's it, the end. Profiting from that by the same government is a huge conflict of interest.

Fair enough. I don't agree with asset forfeiture for American persons. I don't care if we seize billions of cartel dollars because they aren't Americans, but I think it is on the government to prove that to the same degree of certainty that any crime must be proven. Is that a perfect opinion? Probably not. I frankly don't consider myself informed or experienced enough to call that anywhere near a fully-formed and complete thing.

Libertarians have been calling attention to this for decades. Your assumptions have been wrong...

So longer than I've been alive. I'll cover this more below.

and have been shared by most people who want to believe that the government would never just steal our money, with the use of armed force under color of authority. This is law enforcement, so it's at the state/local level.

Preface: I'm not being a shitheel, and what I asked was because I wanted an honest opinion. I got one, though brief, but fair enough. I didn't want to make assumptions about you, Rip, because I wanted to make damn sure I understood you on it.

I served in the military in Afghanistan. I did not sustain even the upper end of the bell curve for gnarly shit, and I still returned home with a perspective so deeply changed that I felt alienated from everyone in my country besides other veterans. That includes my family to some extent. I also did a very poor job of managing the trauma, so I inflicted myself with Post Traumatic Stress (not a victim... just me being bad at it). I didn't beat my wife, get fired from my job, drink/do drugs, or retreat, so the government and counselors decided I didn't have the Disorder part. I just stuffed it down until it manifested somatically. Strength training, even though I am a boringly average lifter (at best), was one of the key things that lead me down the road to true recovery, but it did not bring back any affection for my countrymen, society or culture. I get why veterans, and now law enforcement officers, commit suicide at alarming high rates. It's fucking lonely and hopeless. I'm glad that I went through it, though, because it's made me robust enough to handle the job now in a healthy way that's iteratively successful for both me and my family.

What does that have to do with this? In 2016 I didn't vote for anyone. I didn't care about the issues. Everything I believed in deeply had been forsaken by society. I wanted everything I couldn't stand to burn to the ground, and I had more than enough belief that I could see my wife and I through it and start fresh. I did laugh maniacally when Hilary lost. It was glorious. That schadenfreude high, and entire outlook, faded quickly when we had kids. I had a responsibility for life, and it changed me fundamentally. Strength training and that helped me appreciate my own limits and humility because I found them quickly. It was the ultimate cure for what ailed me, but I've only had four years of paying attention to try and catch up with it all.

I've also seen multiple cases in my family of opioid addiction brought on purely through the medical industry and treatments for trauma and significant disease. Methamphetamine (frankly, I don't have much experience with cocaine) has the same end-state in addicts. None of these substances, or your brain, care if it was a dealer or doctor who got you hooked. It ruins your ability to feel any joy, at all, for anything other than the drug. You will do absolutely anything to get more of it in that condition, and so it absolutely ruins individuals, families and communities. All of that potential for good nearly irreparably lost. Sometimes for no other reason than "pain management." They go in and out of jail and prison with nearly no benefit to them, and the only benefit the rest of us receive is we don't have to deal with them for a while. Let's also actually do something for mental health, especially severe cases, because it is inexorably linked to hard drug use in significant portions of said population. Guess what people who suffer the most do? Self medicate, and not with weed or DMT.

Wanna smoke weed or take psychedelics? Perfectly fine by me. Same rules apply for alcohol? Fantastic. Stay off the fucking road and don't be a dipshit in public. Let's reform the curve for criminal penalties, too. Let's ease the penalties for lesser crimes make hard crimes far more punishing, and let's even split them so that the addicts are treated in a way that works instead of throwing them into genpop in the pen. Let's hold people exactly accountable, to the best of our abilities, for the evil and damage they deal to their fellow citizens. Let's re-establish the absolute nature of our inalienable rights. So, as you've both pointed out, it's been around for a very long time. Are we going to start taking it seriously, then? Or are we too busy with other things? Are we going to replace wisdom with cynicism? Will it help us feel better in our surrender? That's what this is if all we devolve into is casting our fury at the world through one more link or post, and I've been more than guilty of it.


I don't know if I'm right. I'm looking for answers to unfathomably complex webs of problems in what little ground truth I can see, and I'm immeasurably lucky to have a family who loves me through it all. A wife who believes in me, and is willing to stand with me. We're also willing to stand with you. Let's look for answers... AND TURN THEM INTO EFFECTIVE ACTION. Even if we don't fix this in our lifetimes or survive the attempt.

[CommanderFun]

Well, true to New York's MO, we are playing catchup with California's terrible decisions. Masks are back again! This has left me really fucking angry, and unsure what to do next. Part of me wants to go to the gym on monday (when the new mandate starts), without a mask, and make them try to throw me out. Hopefully they will dispatch some of their dipshit scam artist "trainers" who sit around doing nothing most of the time (because most are smart enough to know it's a scam). I'd relish the opportunity to pop some of their noses.

On the other hand, part of me wants to just keep training, and thinks I'll just go in with the mask to swipe in at the front desk, and then just pull the thing down while I'm training, functionally not having to deal with it while training. Doesn't appease my anger at all, but it lets me keep using the facility to train.

In short, part of me wants to take some kind of a stand, and part of me wants to keep training. Any opinions?

[dbm77]

This is just pure coincidence. You and your buddies are just uninitiated in the science of the extremely effective and safe vaccines.

Empirical evidence is science lol....

Got Your Vaccination?? Head To Krispy Kreme! || The Scoop #26 - YouTube @5:00 in the video, she knows that Krispy Kreme gives out vaccine donuts, so I'm assuming that she took the vaccine because they assume that I'm an evil person because I'm white (Oh God, sorry for saving you from the Holocaust 80 years, ago, in which 6 MILLION of my ancestors were also murdered, but you make dumb Pollock jokes and try to genocide gypsies cuz we're better at playing the game than you you wankers) Good luck....

I had a miscarriage - YouTube Miscarriage video.... apparently these people don't listen to reason, logic or facts, so public shaming it is. When Jesus comes back and says "why did you let them just DESTROY THE EARTH I GAVE YOU" I'm not saying, "Cuz I was too afraid to post controversial pixels on an internet page"

Lol OMG OMG Friendly fire!!!!

[Bigredbull]

I think you’ll like this summary position Rip:

The Mandatorians | Doug Wilson - YouTube

[Satch12879]

I hope you're joking, but probably not. The repeated calls by Iranian leaders calling for the extermination of Israel should be enough for anyone to question the integrity of anything coming from Iranian news

::yawn::

[Jovan Dragisic]

I hope you're joking, but probably not. The repeated calls by Iranian leaders calling for the extermination of Israel should be enough for anyone to question the integrity of anything coming from Iranian news

Nonsense, the Iranians are not nearly that bad at PR. They always say they wanna exterminate the junta, not Israel. They do pepper the statements with a little bit of Third Reich imagery, but that's a different story.

[BrooklynJerry]

Legendary News Anchor Brian Williams Quits with a ominous message for everyone. Be aware of the MOB
What's your take on this ? The comments on this are quite interesting.

[Oldandfat]

Not only that. Look at the federal judge presiding over the case.

Attachment 7937
U.S. District Judge Alison J. Nathan

And yes, I absolutely fucking can judge this book by its cover.

It’s Pat from Saturday Night Live!

[Mark Rippetoe]

I'm not being a shitheel, and what I asked was because I wanted an honest opinion.

You're not capable of being a shitheel, David. Thanks for the thoughtful post.

[anticausal]

I want everyone to watch this video and spend some time meditating on what you might be able to do in your own local situation. Think about it long and hard. Let it permeate your consciousness for a while. Don't charge head first into a brick wall just to do something. Wait for opportunities to open up and exploit them. When they open up, be prepared to show courage. You won't even see many opportunities if you aren't psychologically prepared for the big risks that make them viable. This is why I want everyone to meditate on it for a season first. You need time to prepare mentally. You have to be willing to do almost anything it takes to exploit those opportunities, even if it puts you at risk of life, social status, property, or limb. I'm afraid we really do have to get to the point where we're willing to risk our lives for this. We aren't going to win any other way.

This really may disturb some of you! - YouTube