It was during that period of the HHS that I left healthcare. Much apparent malfeasance by the person who was the face of COVID policy, making it difficult for us practice ethically.
A strong man without restraint is a tyrant. A restrained man without strength is a slave. But a strong man with restraint is free. Man is a microcosm of his government.
"Natural-Law-Informed Anarchy" / "Natural Law Perfected Anarchy".... I'm trying to combine Natural Law, and TRUE "anarchy", i.e., "self-rule", NOT "chaos"....
Children raised right make strong, healthy, happy adults....
Children raised wrong make weak, (but sometimes violently vicious), unhealthy, unhappy adults....and up to a point, "bad parenting" CAN BE corrected in adulthood....
One example of “Natural Law Informed Anarchy” would be the Old Icelandic Republic.
They had a popular assembly which determined law. They had respected Lawspeakers, I.e. authorities everyone agreed to regarding what the law was (since it wasn’t written down), legal disputes resolved by a judge mutually agreed upon and no executive authority. No king, lord, army, police of taxes.
The lack of any executive authority makes the Old Icelandic Republic an anarchic state. But it was socially cohesive and bound by a respect for law. Heck, Old Norse is where the English word “law” comes from.
But, they were an agrarian, low population society where everyone knew one another. Probably not a model that can be adapted to a modern urban setting.
How do you account for evil? Lots of people seemingly raised well turn out bad. That may be the exception, of course, but nurture can't account for everything, IMO.
Psychopaths are at least one percent of the population. They're the bottom of the bell curve when it comes to compassion and empathy. They are defined by apathy (or even disgust) towards other people.
M.Scott Peck covers the question of evil in several of his books. Some people have a deficit, the root of which is hard to pin down. Both psychopathy and sociopathy seem to form independent of similar identifiable causes.
Maybe it's true there are those who are simply born evil.
True, there are others who experienced trauma or who are victims of said evil people. But history shows some evidence that even the best home life can still produce a bad seed. To believe holding hands and singing Kumbaya will fix it is delusional.
sociopaths are believed to inherit that characteristic--the absence of empathy or connection.
Such a lonely life that is, not being able to enjoy that connection with other living things. The deadness of soul that can only be enlivened with manipulation and/or cruelty.
"....SEEMINGLY raised well".....that's the key/clue to answering your own question.....
Seriously, the answer to "why evil?" is ABRAHAMISM.....5,000 years of male infant genital mutilation, female genital mutilation, & so-called "honor killings".... Abrahamism is nothing more than a human-created structure of power & control. And money.....But, Our Creator is greater than Abrahamism can imagine....
So-called "evil", and good, are better explained by the teachings of duality in Buddhism, IMHO....
The only reason i have to say "seemingly" is because we weren't there. It's like with pit bulls... when they eventually attack their owners,, everyone says "they must have treated them badly," but i know owners who have been attacked that treated them well, as i was there 75+% of the time., & were still attacked eventually. I couldn't be there every second, tho. Same with people raising kids. We can't be there every second, but they will claim they raise them correctly, & they turned out poorly. I know there are kids raised poorly who turn out well, too ,(i was one), so i know nurture isn't the be all end all, but it has to be qualified, because there will always be someone who claims "they must have done something wrong," just as with pitbulls.
So true, I've seen a male pit bull attack and kill another male, a couple of smaller dogs then turned on us. Pepper spray works well. The reason wasn't because of treatment, it was the introduction of a female pit bull. Just like some men, some are wired differently maybe?
Evil is just a word for "things I really dislike". There is a human need to personify them somehow so identities like the devil were culturally assigned.
This is the same process that has feminists call "anything I don't like" using labels such as patriarchy, toxic masculinity, misogyny etc.
Evil means something specific throughout history, but people have changed the meaning, like the left always does. It means profoundly immoral, & morals come from the law of God, which doesn't change.
This is why Machiavelli said…the leader must be prepared to be all beast (or is all beast…underlying power as protector of the realm….prepared to do what he/she must to retain power)….but is truly effective if he convinces appears to the people as half man (relatable and representative of what the masses desire) and half beast (willing to do what must be done to protect the people).
oh, i agree, but with ideas like borders and "actually arresting criminals" having fallen by the wayside, at the moment i suspect we need to start there.
what we really need is to find a way to use the marshmallow test as a form of citizenship test.
Call me crazy and I might be! However, forget any test for any entry. We need to rid ourselves of many of the illegal entrants before even considering allowing more to enter.
That's my crazy idea. We should try *actually following the Constitution* for once. Who knows, it just might work! But since it's never been done, we'll never know unless we give it a shot.
Our current problem is too many RINOs (or otherwise compromised) and so much damage done by the “Biden” administration, specifically the corrupt judges who were appointed but much more. I know it’s early yet but the midterms are not looking so good for us and if something systemic doesn’t take place very soon, the Democrats will win and they will go on a nuclear scorched-earth war path to excise their revenge.
It's the old horseshoe theory of how the far left and far right inevitably end up in the same place. The real political dimension isn't left/right, it's freedom vs. control.
Absolutely. The best example in recent memory is what happened to the Middle East when Saddam Hussein was taken out. He was evil, that is not disputed. But what he was holding back was even worse.
And we have spent the last several decades learning that lesson. And part of that lesson is what happens when people with "good ideas" meet reality. The people with "good ideas" have caused a lot of the trouble in the world.
I think it boils down to some people have a fantasy that they have more power than they actually do. And they have somehow bought into the fiction that if they **will** it, so it will be.
Like the little hippie Twinkie that was lecturing me about manifesting the reality that I wish to see. While she was living in poverty on the street in her own filth. "Omigawd. You just have to DECIDE you don't have arthritis and it will magically be healed!!!"
Kind of like the lady who said, "We just need to explain to these rapists and thugs we mean them no harm! They probably weren't hugged enough as children!"
Um, a "restrained man without strength" would be a woman.....and "woman is the nigger of the world", to quote John Lennon.... And actually, a strong man with restraint, is just a strong man with restraint.... A slave or prisoner could be a strong man with restraint....
I am NOT arguing with you, tho, Will, - only thinking out loud here.... "Man" is NOT a "microcosm of his government".... OK, WHICH American man is a microcosm of the American Gov't?.... I do get what you're saying, and I agree, mostly, but there's still something missing here.... It's too "Western", or "Abrahamic", or something.....But KEEP UP the GOOD WORK....
It could all end in a whimper by people voting with their feet.
Zuckerberg just bought a $150 mil pad in FL, and CA lost half their taxable income in that transaction.
Nothing new here…people with common sense move out and the insane double down to save themselves as they destroy everyone around them.
Now you know exactly why the illegal alien "showdown" is an existential threat to the Left; not only are they losing taxable revenue, but they're going to lose congressional seats.
And to a large extent they are tied together vis-a-vis the illegal alien invasion.
But that is why the Soros machine is hyper focused on red and purple areas. None of these places are safe unless we defend them, and they are being targeted.
I hear what you're saying and it's a legit point. However, that has not been my experience after moving to FL from CA at the beginning of the plandemic. The Tampa metro had been blue, but a year into c19 it completely skipped purple and is now deep red. I know a lot of lifelong Ds in my neighborhood that have completely abandoned the party. They may not love Trump, but they were given a simple choice; vote for insanity or not.
I'll also say the influx of money, skilled labor, tech expertise, and businesses are gifts....because it attracts more of the same. That's the piece people are missing imo. I don't think Austin or Denver are emblematic of the current out-migration from blue cities. That happened before the Left went completely insane.
I think what's happening, on balance, irrespective of political leanings, is the current crop of folks leaving blue states are similar to us:
They just want to be left alone.
That's not an option for them if they vote for the Left. I've actually had a couple neighbors flat out tell me this...I just paraphrased.
I hope there are some other places out there. We’re looking at TN. I think southern Appalachia is at risk right now but not lost. I’m in Maine and Maine is lost.
I have a buddy thats a moderate that built a house down in that area in TN. He's telling me, based on what he's seen so far, he's not concerned.
But, you're right, there are many places that are gone. I just think it'll take care of itself in the long run.
D policies are on complete display and the contrast could not be clearer. You add the current insanity to their terrible policies and sane people are starting to get it.
That said, Trump and the rest of the republicans need to do a better job communicating the contrast imo.
Long term, I believe things are going to change dramatically and we will look back at the last century of American politics with horror and disbelief, and future generations will think it can’t happen again.
Yes. We're on the same page. These things have to happen every 3 generations or so.
Honestly I think we're going to look back and laugh at it because, just like with c19, nobody will want to "own" it 5-10 years from now. I feel like we're in the top of the 4th inning right now, but the 2nd half of the game is going to go faster than the first half.
But...then...again, Republicans are masters at only one thing:
Totally agree. They are the worst communicators I’ve ever witnessed. Considering what’s at stake, you’d think allies, donors!, advocates of strength and restraint would insist the administration get a handle on it. Really not rocket science. People do this for a living, even know how to manage “tough customers.” It’s not spin, it’s strategy.
Yes, this happened to us here in Maine. TN/SC/NC in the mountains are highest on our list right now for family reasons, but I think it is critical that everyone in places where this type of flooding is happening, if it is still red or purple, pay close attention and try to draw other people's attention to it. The problem in Maine is that all the money and power was concentrated with the people who wanted it blue, and we never really stood a chance.
I still love in The Communist Republic of California and believe it or not people are waking the feck up! I live in a Cobalt Blue coastal town and I am hearing people doing a lot of bitching and complaining.
This isn’t something I was hearing even 18 months ago!
I hear you, but I think Zuckerfucks real politics hinges on money.
We shall see. Like I said to Sarah, it's a completely legit point, but on the ground here in FL I'm not seeing that from regular folk - in fact, just the opposite.
Have you read Cory Doctorow's book Walkaway? It is a story of walking away from "non-work", and surveillance and control by a brutal, immensely rich oligarchical elite.
"I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom that I provide and then questions the manner in which I provide it. I would rather that you just said "thank you" and went on your way. "
Nah, he wasn't a bully. The Code Red punishment would've been fine except for the rare condition that caused Santiago's death. Hell, we've waterboarded our own guys to prep them for that possibility. The Code Red was child's play compared to waterboarding. It was child's play compared to what our Special Forces and elite warriors go through just in training.
You must have seen a different movie - Jessup bullies Ltcol Markinson, attempts to bully Danny, Judge Randolf, etc- your examples confuse torture and tough training with bullying- bullying for some like Jessup is a leadership style and it’s inappropriate- it appears you have no real military experience
Isn't it interesting? More and more we seem to be coming back to a very basic concept - accountability. When it comes to a contest between 'magical thinking' and reality. reality wins every time. What we haven't done over time is to hold the 'stupidista' to account. We should, starting now!
Civilization hadn't been invented as a reward for having predominantly good and gentle natures. [Note the voice in which I said this.] It was to find means of taming and restricting all the ways in which we can make wretched the lives of our neighbors.
You will not find civilization in the Enlightenment. You will find yourself exactly where we are right now.
The Western Enlightenment was built on a series of lies - the biggest one being that Reason can exist without any larger grounding. Unsurprisingly, its philosophy ended up eating itself entire and every promise it made has proven utterly flimsy, corruptible, and now less and less successful.
Autonomous reason, sovereign individuality, mechanical nature, the fact-value distinction, and inevitable progress. Every single one of these has been tested - and failed. If you want civilization, we'll need to build on something better, while taking into account the real things we've learned over the last 500 years.
I am so grateful to have been born in the place and at the time I was--in a nation founded on the ideals of the Western Enlightenment.
Nothing in life stands still though. There's no utopia. There's no system that just continues to run on its own on silent gears that never need recalibrating. Fortunately our system gives us all the tools we need but people often fall short of the determination and common sense by which we correct mistakes.
Your side has a consistent losing record against the Enlightenment's dark side that is now measured in centuries. You do not wonder why, and believe that a couple tweaks will turn you into a winning team, without grasping why you couldn't even conserve bathrooms for little girls.
Somehow, we're all in the current situation. And somehow, none of this is the Enlightenment's flaw or fault. Even as many of its current horrors are simply its own foundational philosophies taken to their logical conclusion.
Steroids feel great, too. You might even be grateful. At first. Eventually, the bill comes due.
We had the Goldilocks in the 90s in criminal justice. Great observance of constitutional rights in exercising your defense and severe penalties if you’re found guilty after a fair trial, particularly if you’re a recidivist.
Trump is all about hard power. But then he uses it for what? Convince me we are moving into something secure, because I am not seeing it. "We will make house prices and stock prices rise for boomers and Black Rock" is not the way out of this. A lot of ICE noise but no structural change is not this. Pam "Blonde Joke" Bondi and strongly worded letters is not this. Gormless Goppers who are afraid not to be invited to dinner parties are not this.
Trump loves his big swinging win; he loves the optics. And he is changing the board, yes. But for whom? I am not convinced it is for us.
The big flashy things are a distraction. The quiet wins are the ones that are going to make the widest impact.
While everyone was leering at Antifa, thousands more illegals were deported and the fraud money was exposed and frozen. Antifa's structure and means of command and control were throughly documented and infiltrated. And Tim Walz was given an offer he can't refuse and now you're hearing nothing because all MN agencies are cooperating with Tom Homan.
DOGE is still operating in its new distributed form. 42,000 federal government jobs were eliminated last month while 172,000 private sector positions were filled. And the deficit is 40% lower year over year. That hasn't happened in forever.
Prescription drug prices are getting dramatically lower - my elderly mother has noticed and loves it. The murder rate is down dramatically. Gas and grocery prices are down. And the depths to which western Europe, Canada, Mexico, Australia, and New Zealand have all fucked themselves are just starting to become visible. Which is why, after a laughable show of resistance, they're surrendering to Trump on Greenland.
Oh, and there's a *lot* of smoke around election fraud. I expect something will happen on that soon, and that's ultimately where all the marbles are.
Would I like more? Yes. But we're still getting far, far more than I expected and it's great.
I agree with the appearance of progress, albeit frustratingly limited since Jan.-2025. The future of the Republic seems to have attained a temporary reprieve but remains poised to fall into the abyss that was initiated by Obama and Biden. Midterms will tell a lot about whether the event horizon finally gets crossed. But once that happens...it won't much matter where the Zucks move to. And for those that are middle class and own property, they are in for a rough ride. Just about 100 years ago they were called Kulaks. If there any certainties in this life, it is that we humans can count upon history repeating itself.
Fair enough. Someone, somewhere inside that administration is making some game changing decisions, though. The DoJ is not single-handedly going to take out all of Biden’s criminal courtiers. The whole judicial system is aligning to protect themselves from the social inversion that’s been triggered by Trump 2. We need patience and strength.
I keep hearing this, but it’s some serious 10D chess if Bondi and Patel are a front for something real. It better be a damn serious reveal and soon. I’m staying home for the midterms.
I'm not staying home for the midterms, even if there is no change in DC. It's been apparent for years that our D rep, and 2 Senators will never be primaried. All 3 have been in place for over 2 decades. I don't really care who the R's are, I'm just voting for the chance to force those mean old clunkers out (even dems who have to deal with them think they are assholes, they most famously arrested old people during the Iraq war who stood quietly outside their offices with signs against the war...) and get some new blood in. It might never work in this vote by mail state, but I think we have more of a chance in a mid term to get these people out of office.
Is why the primaries are key. Like three-dozen R's quitting, open seats. Yes, D's will run as R's. Probably 30-40% of R's currently are D's who ran as R's. With the vacancies is a chance to put Patriots in.
But we have to do our homework. And not just fall for the pretty face singing all the pretty words that we swoon over. Who are they? What are their bona fides? Did they stand tall against pandemic mandates? Do they cater to the gender/transmafia, afraid to say something that offends? How principled are they in deed, not just in words?
And don't believe for a moment that the election theft only happens in general elections. Primary elections have the same damn riggers. So it takes an active and watchful populace to fix things. We cannot trust any of the systems and people who currently are entrusted to protect the integrity of elections. The GOTV election infrastructure, poll watchers, ballot integrity and oversight that was deployed in 2024 needs to be fired up and ready to roll pronto. Primary elections start in just a few months, that is where Patriots must prevail in the R elections, not Rino's. Then we can talk about November. If we do the first part right the second part will be worth turning out for.
I have watched middle class people with name recognition and real principles try to do this in Maine, pour all their resources into it, and just get rolled by Soros money every time. And then sometimes someone sneaks by. A Massie, a Rand Paul, an Amash, even an MTG; but then what? As far as I can tell, underdog political campaigns are a way to transfer hard-earned money from middle class people into the pockets of the political machine. There has to be a better option than running for office.
I’m not black-pilled; I’m just not convinced that playing this game, at least at the national level, is the best use of limited resources.
In my state the D's don't have primaries, we have 'caucuses' which are basically private meetings of only party members. No outside input from registered voters who lean D, let alone the guiding hand of the open primary.
But I just want another chance at unseating these 3 who are mightily entrenched. A newbie can be readily disposed of a few years down the road before they can settle in, and around here R's whatever their politics, can't get too comfortable. The people I'm talking about are part of the problem and in part the reason we are in this shite to begin with.
Really? Because you're disappointed, you're not going to vote? Wait until the other side wins when people stay home. That will be 20 times worse than two ineffective cabinet members
I’m unlikely to vote because I think it’s ineffectual. “Disappointed” is not the right word. “Unsurprised” would be more accurate. There was a long shot chance that Trump would do something structurally important. He hasn’t. He freed Ross and I voted for that, and I voted *against* TDS lunacy and *for* a true “American First” mandate that rejected the status quo. We didn’t get that but my vote didn’t count in the actual election; it was just a statement to myself that I was with the people who wanted a real change.
Collins represents everything I loathe. She stands for nothing but the machine. Speed-limit socialism is not something I can get behind.
I hear you. I used to live in IL. It's frustrating when you know that your vote will always get overruled. But I would argue there are two reasons: the first is that things that are true now will not always be true. And momentum changes things. People are crossing over all the time. The second is, when you tell people you aren't voting, you're transmitting to others that it's not important. The enemy of the good us the perfect. I guess my only request is that you perhaps stay quiet about your choice. It's yours to make, of course. But if you could minimize the sadness that goes along with giving up, that would be nice.
No, I do not accept that instruction from you; read what you wrote. Does it sound paternalistic to you? When I do something I do it with conviction. I WANT the GOP to know that they aren’t worth the vote. Collins conspired to steal the Maine primary from Ron Paul. I will not champion her type of sleaze, and I’m not afraid to say that. Nothing will change as long as these people keep their sinecures.
Like I like to say, no one is perfect. Trump’s ego is just too pervasive within him. And he thinks short term. But he’s 1000 times better than what he ran against. Can you imagine where we’d be if Harris had won?
I disagree for I believe that Trump looks longterm at goals and how to get there. He spent years as a developer. Many of these types of people are creative and see what many do not. They see the end and figure out how to get there. They are called Visionary Leaders.
Often Visionary Leaders are hard power simply because so many will obstruct change when they see the need for the change and what it could be.
"If voting actually changed anything, then they wouldn't let you do it"....-ever heard that?.... Harris & Walz were selected by the Puppetmasters to guarantee a Trump win....and to further the "D&C" campaign....(divide & conquer)....
I agree, Trump's a drama queen. I agree he's petulant and annoying. But why are all those things suddenly important now and worthy of contempt when for 45 other presidents we haven't given a thinkers damn what their character has been? Clinton? Spare me. Bush (one or two) gave us to the globalists. Obama? Really? Presidential and smooth on the outside, completely damaging to our republic in action. Let's go further back. LBJ? A crass pig - would make Trump look like Emily Post. Oh, I know, how about JFK? No skirt chaser there. A devoted family man... not. Forty percent is actually pretty good. By most estimates, presidents get one, maybe two of the thibgs they promise on the campaign trail accomplished. The most important thing he did was stop the slide into a dystopian nightmare of globalist control, press suppression, chopping children's parts off in second grade. This idea that we're all so above fighting back will get us the worst situation possible. The enemy of good enough is wanting perfect. Don't give up. That's what they want.
I do appreciate that you see more than you expected. I see much less but I’m willing to acknowledge it when it’s there. Right now, nothing looks permanent to me; it all looks like the Ds can bring it right back. With the courts as broken as they are, I don’t have a lot of faith.
Real change in the houses of congress will arrive on the heels of term's being limited and ironclad campaign finance reform being imposed. But what are the chances?
“All the people constitute the militia — according to the Founding Fathers. Therefore every able-bodied man has a duty under the Constitution to become part of the “well-regulated” militia, specifically to understand and perform well with the individual weapon currently issued to the regular establishment. . . . Thus one who has not qualified himself with the M-16 may not be considered to be a responsible citizen.”
- Jeff Cooper
“The conclusions seem inescapable that in certain circles a tendency has arisen to fear people who fear government. Government, as the Father of Our Country put it so well, is a dangerous servant and a fearful master. People who understand history, especially the history of government, do well to fear it. For a people to express openly their fear of those of us who are afraid of tyranny is alarming. Fear of the state is in no sense subversive. It is, to the contrary, the healthiest political philosophy for a free people.”
– Jeff Cooper
"The rifle itself has no moral stature, since it has no will of its own. Naturally, it may be used by evil men for evil purposes, but there are more good men than evil, and while the latter cannot be persuaded to the path of righteousness by propaganda, they can certainly be corrected by good men with rifles."
Could it be that "cancel culture" and all of the regulatory sewage spewing out of Canada and the EU ***and everything in between*** is just soft powermongers trying to adapt to a hard-power world?
Or trying to get their remaining hard-power strengths (banning products from markets, fining everyone from individuals to S&P500 companies with the threat that their assets will be forcibly seized, etc.) to masquerade as, if not soft, then polite hard power?
Or using authority's inherent slippery avoidance of accountability as a feature and a defense, not a bug?
Progressives are racing to get their digital panopticon in place before the castle gets stormed, to lock in a hard-power regime masquerading as soft power. Because unless and until they get that in place, they are completely buck nekkid.
This is one of your better pieces gato! You are at your best when you have an insight like this. As someone who started out a basic cliche dissenting republican, became a hardcore libertarian and now might be described as a hardcore Christian conservative I’ve had to mentally deal with how to accept hard power as legitimate when I developed a total mindset of rejecting the state as a legitimate institution.
Hard power is good when used to prevent genuine harm or to stop harm when it is happening.
As an example from my life my son is five and on occasion we go to the local library for story time and activities. Naturally when there are fifteen to twenty kids around that age there are going to be some that act out when the story is being read. It is interesting to observe the other parents, mostly moms, who use the “stop” “stop” “come here” as their child dutifully ignores them knowing nothing is going to happen. Whereas the kids who’s parents say stop and they stop immediately know that a second ask isn’t coming.
He is well behaved but he knows that my wife and I will do what we say. We aren’t asking ten times and saying “I better not have to say it for the eleventh time son!”
I’ll give you an example from just last week. The setup is chairs in a semi-circle. The library employee that runs the story time sits in the middle. The kids if they want can sit on the floor or in the chairs with their parents. As the she was reading the story a girl who is about my son’s age pushed one of the chairs all the way inside the semi circle so she was right in front of the lady reading. The mom said “no, no” and the girl did nothing. The mom then pulled the chair back to its place. The girl got out of the chair, pushed it back to where she had moved it and the mom just sat there and did nothing further. Truly incredible stuff.
By itself, that's a very small, "nothing" kind of event. But, it does show a larger pattern. I think the "lady reading" should have said or done something, don't you?
George Orwell put it this way: "Pacifists sleep well in their beds at night because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf."
God bless the rough men.
It kind of shakes your confidence, when the general in charge is a man wearing a dress.
It was during that period of the HHS that I left healthcare. Much apparent malfeasance by the person who was the face of COVID policy, making it difficult for us practice ethically.
the quote is disputed but not the thought- it's the required balance to maximize freedom
A strong man without restraint is a tyrant. A restrained man without strength is a slave. But a strong man with restraint is free. Man is a microcosm of his government.
this is well put.
similarly, no one incapable of violence may truly be called peaceful. they are merely harmless.
"Natural-Law-Informed Anarchy" / "Natural Law Perfected Anarchy".... I'm trying to combine Natural Law, and TRUE "anarchy", i.e., "self-rule", NOT "chaos"....
Children raised right make strong, healthy, happy adults....
Children raised wrong make weak, (but sometimes violently vicious), unhealthy, unhappy adults....and up to a point, "bad parenting" CAN BE corrected in adulthood....
See where I'm trying to go with this?....
One example of “Natural Law Informed Anarchy” would be the Old Icelandic Republic.
They had a popular assembly which determined law. They had respected Lawspeakers, I.e. authorities everyone agreed to regarding what the law was (since it wasn’t written down), legal disputes resolved by a judge mutually agreed upon and no executive authority. No king, lord, army, police of taxes.
The lack of any executive authority makes the Old Icelandic Republic an anarchic state. But it was socially cohesive and bound by a respect for law. Heck, Old Norse is where the English word “law” comes from.
But, they were an agrarian, low population society where everyone knew one another. Probably not a model that can be adapted to a modern urban setting.
How do you account for evil? Lots of people seemingly raised well turn out bad. That may be the exception, of course, but nurture can't account for everything, IMO.
Psychopaths are at least one percent of the population. They're the bottom of the bell curve when it comes to compassion and empathy. They are defined by apathy (or even disgust) towards other people.
M.Scott Peck covers the question of evil in several of his books. Some people have a deficit, the root of which is hard to pin down. Both psychopathy and sociopathy seem to form independent of similar identifiable causes.
Maybe it's true there are those who are simply born evil.
True, there are others who experienced trauma or who are victims of said evil people. But history shows some evidence that even the best home life can still produce a bad seed. To believe holding hands and singing Kumbaya will fix it is delusional.
sociopaths are believed to inherit that characteristic--the absence of empathy or connection.
Such a lonely life that is, not being able to enjoy that connection with other living things. The deadness of soul that can only be enlivened with manipulation and/or cruelty.
"....SEEMINGLY raised well".....that's the key/clue to answering your own question.....
Seriously, the answer to "why evil?" is ABRAHAMISM.....5,000 years of male infant genital mutilation, female genital mutilation, & so-called "honor killings".... Abrahamism is nothing more than a human-created structure of power & control. And money.....But, Our Creator is greater than Abrahamism can imagine....
So-called "evil", and good, are better explained by the teachings of duality in Buddhism, IMHO....
What does Buddhism specify or reveal about the Creator?
A belief in God the Creator, AND basic Buddhist ideas is VERY compatible.
Look for the book: "Going Home, Jesus and Buddha as Brothers", by French-Viet Namese Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hahn.
The more I read & study Buddhism, the more I appreciate Christianity....
Thank-you for your question!
The only reason i have to say "seemingly" is because we weren't there. It's like with pit bulls... when they eventually attack their owners,, everyone says "they must have treated them badly," but i know owners who have been attacked that treated them well, as i was there 75+% of the time., & were still attacked eventually. I couldn't be there every second, tho. Same with people raising kids. We can't be there every second, but they will claim they raise them correctly, & they turned out poorly. I know there are kids raised poorly who turn out well, too ,(i was one), so i know nurture isn't the be all end all, but it has to be qualified, because there will always be someone who claims "they must have done something wrong," just as with pitbulls.
So true, I've seen a male pit bull attack and kill another male, a couple of smaller dogs then turned on us. Pepper spray works well. The reason wasn't because of treatment, it was the introduction of a female pit bull. Just like some men, some are wired differently maybe?
Evil is just a word for "things I really dislike". There is a human need to personify them somehow so identities like the devil were culturally assigned.
This is the same process that has feminists call "anything I don't like" using labels such as patriarchy, toxic masculinity, misogyny etc.
Evil means something specific throughout history, but people have changed the meaning, like the left always does. It means profoundly immoral, & morals come from the law of God, which doesn't change.
This is why Machiavelli said…the leader must be prepared to be all beast (or is all beast…underlying power as protector of the realm….prepared to do what he/she must to retain power)….but is truly effective if he convinces appears to the people as half man (relatable and representative of what the masses desire) and half beast (willing to do what must be done to protect the people).
I love it. To piggyback, to some extent, it's similar to universities these days:
They are a reflection of their states government.
Perhaps thats how we ended up here, and why your pithy comment resonates so well.
Absolutely.
Government is a criminal protection racket. Man - in the main - is better than that...
but can man, in the main, survive the predation of other men at reasonable cost or effect without it?
this is the deep and abiding problem and the terrible trade off.
there is no question that government is a danger, perhaps even an evil, the question is what other evils and dangers does it hold at bay?
the true republic may be approached, but never attained.
there is no perfect answer, only trade offs.
As every good econ-cat knows, life is all about trade offs.
I say we try the side of much less government vs much more freedom for a change...
oh, i agree, but with ideas like borders and "actually arresting criminals" having fallen by the wayside, at the moment i suspect we need to start there.
what we really need is to find a way to use the marshmallow test as a form of citizenship test.
Call me crazy and I might be! However, forget any test for any entry. We need to rid ourselves of many of the illegal entrants before even considering allowing more to enter.
yes, and also eliminate the welfare programs that draw the worst immigrants and degrade our own citizens
That's my crazy idea. We should try *actually following the Constitution* for once. Who knows, it just might work! But since it's never been done, we'll never know unless we give it a shot.
Exactly!
Our current problem is too many RINOs (or otherwise compromised) and so much damage done by the “Biden” administration, specifically the corrupt judges who were appointed but much more. I know it’s early yet but the midterms are not looking so good for us and if something systemic doesn’t take place very soon, the Democrats will win and they will go on a nuclear scorched-earth war path to excise their revenge.
"There is no perfect answer YET!"....meow....
That reminds me of what Communists say. "It just hasn't been done correctly, YET."
Ah, communism, socialism, fascism, crony capitalism, - all the same in practice.....
It's the old horseshoe theory of how the far left and far right inevitably end up in the same place. The real political dimension isn't left/right, it's freedom vs. control.
Absolutely. The best example in recent memory is what happened to the Middle East when Saddam Hussein was taken out. He was evil, that is not disputed. But what he was holding back was even worse.
And we have spent the last several decades learning that lesson. And part of that lesson is what happens when people with "good ideas" meet reality. The people with "good ideas" have caused a lot of the trouble in the world.
I think it boils down to some people have a fantasy that they have more power than they actually do. And they have somehow bought into the fiction that if they **will** it, so it will be.
Like the little hippie Twinkie that was lecturing me about manifesting the reality that I wish to see. While she was living in poverty on the street in her own filth. "Omigawd. You just have to DECIDE you don't have arthritis and it will magically be healed!!!"
Kind of like the lady who said, "We just need to explain to these rapists and thugs we mean them no harm! They probably weren't hugged enough as children!"
Um, a "restrained man without strength" would be a woman.....and "woman is the nigger of the world", to quote John Lennon.... And actually, a strong man with restraint, is just a strong man with restraint.... A slave or prisoner could be a strong man with restraint....
I am NOT arguing with you, tho, Will, - only thinking out loud here.... "Man" is NOT a "microcosm of his government".... OK, WHICH American man is a microcosm of the American Gov't?.... I do get what you're saying, and I agree, mostly, but there's still something missing here.... It's too "Western", or "Abrahamic", or something.....But KEEP UP the GOOD WORK....
It could all end in a whimper by people voting with their feet.
Zuckerberg just bought a $150 mil pad in FL, and CA lost half their taxable income in that transaction.
Nothing new here…people with common sense move out and the insane double down to save themselves as they destroy everyone around them.
Now you know exactly why the illegal alien "showdown" is an existential threat to the Left; not only are they losing taxable revenue, but they're going to lose congressional seats.
And to a large extent they are tied together vis-a-vis the illegal alien invasion.
But that is why the Soros machine is hyper focused on red and purple areas. None of these places are safe unless we defend them, and they are being targeted.
I hear what you're saying and it's a legit point. However, that has not been my experience after moving to FL from CA at the beginning of the plandemic. The Tampa metro had been blue, but a year into c19 it completely skipped purple and is now deep red. I know a lot of lifelong Ds in my neighborhood that have completely abandoned the party. They may not love Trump, but they were given a simple choice; vote for insanity or not.
I'll also say the influx of money, skilled labor, tech expertise, and businesses are gifts....because it attracts more of the same. That's the piece people are missing imo. I don't think Austin or Denver are emblematic of the current out-migration from blue cities. That happened before the Left went completely insane.
I think what's happening, on balance, irrespective of political leanings, is the current crop of folks leaving blue states are similar to us:
They just want to be left alone.
That's not an option for them if they vote for the Left. I've actually had a couple neighbors flat out tell me this...I just paraphrased.
I hope there are some other places out there. We’re looking at TN. I think southern Appalachia is at risk right now but not lost. I’m in Maine and Maine is lost.
I have a buddy thats a moderate that built a house down in that area in TN. He's telling me, based on what he's seen so far, he's not concerned.
But, you're right, there are many places that are gone. I just think it'll take care of itself in the long run.
D policies are on complete display and the contrast could not be clearer. You add the current insanity to their terrible policies and sane people are starting to get it.
That said, Trump and the rest of the republicans need to do a better job communicating the contrast imo.
Long term, I believe things are going to change dramatically and we will look back at the last century of American politics with horror and disbelief, and future generations will think it can’t happen again.
But short term it’s not over.
Yes. We're on the same page. These things have to happen every 3 generations or so.
Honestly I think we're going to look back and laugh at it because, just like with c19, nobody will want to "own" it 5-10 years from now. I feel like we're in the top of the 4th inning right now, but the 2nd half of the game is going to go faster than the first half.
But...then...again, Republicans are masters at only one thing:
Snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.
Totally agree. They are the worst communicators I’ve ever witnessed. Considering what’s at stake, you’d think allies, donors!, advocates of strength and restraint would insist the administration get a handle on it. Really not rocket science. People do this for a living, even know how to manage “tough customers.” It’s not spin, it’s strategy.
I'm in Tn and people are flooding in here from all the blue states. The population growth is incredible.
Yes, this happened to us here in Maine. TN/SC/NC in the mountains are highest on our list right now for family reasons, but I think it is critical that everyone in places where this type of flooding is happening, if it is still red or purple, pay close attention and try to draw other people's attention to it. The problem in Maine is that all the money and power was concentrated with the people who wanted it blue, and we never really stood a chance.
I still love in The Communist Republic of California and believe it or not people are waking the feck up! I live in a Cobalt Blue coastal town and I am hearing people doing a lot of bitching and complaining.
This isn’t something I was hearing even 18 months ago!
Bitching and complaining about the president or something else?
Bitching and complaining about Gavin The Moron Mental Midwit to name just one dictator-in-chief!
This has been very evident in New Mexico. The downside of being a very poor state is that our elections are very cheap to buy.
Zuck also brought his politics and considerable financial influence to Florida—not necessarily s good thing.
I hear you, but I think Zuckerfucks real politics hinges on money.
We shall see. Like I said to Sarah, it's a completely legit point, but on the ground here in FL I'm not seeing that from regular folk - in fact, just the opposite.
Have you read Cory Doctorow's book Walkaway? It is a story of walking away from "non-work", and surveillance and control by a brutal, immensely rich oligarchical elite.
No. I haven't but now I will
Amen. Vote with your feet. Balkanize red and blue! It’s the best A/B test there is. See Korean Peninsula as a reference
"in the end, all soft times must have hard men standing behind them to keep them safe"
You WANT me on that wall; you NEED me on that wall.
Col. Jessup is actually the hero of "A Few Good Men" because Santiago's death, while tragic, saved lives.
"I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom that I provide and then questions the manner in which I provide it. I would rather that you just said "thank you" and went on your way. "
We need more of this energy.
I was thinking about Col. Jessup as I was reading this. Well put.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpkJZuxSayo
Dang it, y'know, I almost added "probably". I thought, "did he or didn't he say 'probably' in that quote?? Dang it.
bad analogy - defending a bully not a leader of rough men
Nah, he wasn't a bully. The Code Red punishment would've been fine except for the rare condition that caused Santiago's death. Hell, we've waterboarded our own guys to prep them for that possibility. The Code Red was child's play compared to waterboarding. It was child's play compared to what our Special Forces and elite warriors go through just in training.
You must have seen a different movie - Jessup bullies Ltcol Markinson, attempts to bully Danny, Judge Randolf, etc- your examples confuse torture and tough training with bullying- bullying for some like Jessup is a leadership style and it’s inappropriate- it appears you have no real military experience
That appearance is correct. No real, nor even fake, military experience.
Nevertheless, my bully comment was in the context of ordering the Code Red, nothing else.
The code red is corporal punishment (no pun intended)
But while Jon Snow was not enough of a rough man, himself, his men were.
I get your point but he was the roughest (invincible) of his men
Isn't it interesting? More and more we seem to be coming back to a very basic concept - accountability. When it comes to a contest between 'magical thinking' and reality. reality wins every time. What we haven't done over time is to hold the 'stupidista' to account. We should, starting now!
“and if they get their way, the mackerel of truth arrives, wet and slappy.”
Your premise is terrifying. But that sentence was so damned funny.
Yes, and the ginger cat energy in the image was 💯
😂😂😂
OMG I love your username 😂🐸
Civilized norms are unnatural.
The Western Enlightenment was unnatural.
Civilization hadn't been invented as a reward for having predominantly good and gentle natures. [Note the voice in which I said this.] It was to find means of taming and restricting all the ways in which we can make wretched the lives of our neighbors.
Civilization must be enforced, or we lose it.
So true!
You will not find civilization in the Enlightenment. You will find yourself exactly where we are right now.
The Western Enlightenment was built on a series of lies - the biggest one being that Reason can exist without any larger grounding. Unsurprisingly, its philosophy ended up eating itself entire and every promise it made has proven utterly flimsy, corruptible, and now less and less successful.
Autonomous reason, sovereign individuality, mechanical nature, the fact-value distinction, and inevitable progress. Every single one of these has been tested - and failed. If you want civilization, we'll need to build on something better, while taking into account the real things we've learned over the last 500 years.
I disagree with your views here absolutely.
And yet, here we are.
I am so grateful to have been born in the place and at the time I was--in a nation founded on the ideals of the Western Enlightenment.
Nothing in life stands still though. There's no utopia. There's no system that just continues to run on its own on silent gears that never need recalibrating. Fortunately our system gives us all the tools we need but people often fall short of the determination and common sense by which we correct mistakes.
This nation was founded on Christian, not Western Enlightenment, ideals.
Again this nonsense.
Your side has a consistent losing record against the Enlightenment's dark side that is now measured in centuries. You do not wonder why, and believe that a couple tweaks will turn you into a winning team, without grasping why you couldn't even conserve bathrooms for little girls.
Somehow, we're all in the current situation. And somehow, none of this is the Enlightenment's flaw or fault. Even as many of its current horrors are simply its own foundational philosophies taken to their logical conclusion.
Steroids feel great, too. You might even be grateful. At first. Eventually, the bill comes due.
We had the Goldilocks in the 90s in criminal justice. Great observance of constitutional rights in exercising your defense and severe penalties if you’re found guilty after a fair trial, particularly if you’re a recidivist.
agreed. 80's to about 2008 were a great period. it's not like going back would be a radical idea.
Trump is all about hard power. But then he uses it for what? Convince me we are moving into something secure, because I am not seeing it. "We will make house prices and stock prices rise for boomers and Black Rock" is not the way out of this. A lot of ICE noise but no structural change is not this. Pam "Blonde Joke" Bondi and strongly worded letters is not this. Gormless Goppers who are afraid not to be invited to dinner parties are not this.
Trump loves his big swinging win; he loves the optics. And he is changing the board, yes. But for whom? I am not convinced it is for us.
The big flashy things are a distraction. The quiet wins are the ones that are going to make the widest impact.
While everyone was leering at Antifa, thousands more illegals were deported and the fraud money was exposed and frozen. Antifa's structure and means of command and control were throughly documented and infiltrated. And Tim Walz was given an offer he can't refuse and now you're hearing nothing because all MN agencies are cooperating with Tom Homan.
DOGE is still operating in its new distributed form. 42,000 federal government jobs were eliminated last month while 172,000 private sector positions were filled. And the deficit is 40% lower year over year. That hasn't happened in forever.
Prescription drug prices are getting dramatically lower - my elderly mother has noticed and loves it. The murder rate is down dramatically. Gas and grocery prices are down. And the depths to which western Europe, Canada, Mexico, Australia, and New Zealand have all fucked themselves are just starting to become visible. Which is why, after a laughable show of resistance, they're surrendering to Trump on Greenland.
Oh, and there's a *lot* of smoke around election fraud. I expect something will happen on that soon, and that's ultimately where all the marbles are.
Would I like more? Yes. But we're still getting far, far more than I expected and it's great.
"And the depths to which western Europe, Canada, Mexico, Australia, and New Zealand have all fucked themselves are just starting to become visible."
This is so very important.
This should enable the citizens to make the changes they desire of their governments.
May it be so.
I agree with the appearance of progress, albeit frustratingly limited since Jan.-2025. The future of the Republic seems to have attained a temporary reprieve but remains poised to fall into the abyss that was initiated by Obama and Biden. Midterms will tell a lot about whether the event horizon finally gets crossed. But once that happens...it won't much matter where the Zucks move to. And for those that are middle class and own property, they are in for a rough ride. Just about 100 years ago they were called Kulaks. If there any certainties in this life, it is that we humans can count upon history repeating itself.
Tim Walz was given an offer he can't refuse...
And so others in similar positions of power are not so resistant to the criminals being deported.
Another quiet win that matters.
Fair enough. Someone, somewhere inside that administration is making some game changing decisions, though. The DoJ is not single-handedly going to take out all of Biden’s criminal courtiers. The whole judicial system is aligning to protect themselves from the social inversion that’s been triggered by Trump 2. We need patience and strength.
I keep hearing this, but it’s some serious 10D chess if Bondi and Patel are a front for something real. It better be a damn serious reveal and soon. I’m staying home for the midterms.
I'm not staying home for the midterms, even if there is no change in DC. It's been apparent for years that our D rep, and 2 Senators will never be primaried. All 3 have been in place for over 2 decades. I don't really care who the R's are, I'm just voting for the chance to force those mean old clunkers out (even dems who have to deal with them think they are assholes, they most famously arrested old people during the Iraq war who stood quietly outside their offices with signs against the war...) and get some new blood in. It might never work in this vote by mail state, but I think we have more of a chance in a mid term to get these people out of office.
There are Ds running as Rs now so I don’t trust any of it.
Is why the primaries are key. Like three-dozen R's quitting, open seats. Yes, D's will run as R's. Probably 30-40% of R's currently are D's who ran as R's. With the vacancies is a chance to put Patriots in.
But we have to do our homework. And not just fall for the pretty face singing all the pretty words that we swoon over. Who are they? What are their bona fides? Did they stand tall against pandemic mandates? Do they cater to the gender/transmafia, afraid to say something that offends? How principled are they in deed, not just in words?
And don't believe for a moment that the election theft only happens in general elections. Primary elections have the same damn riggers. So it takes an active and watchful populace to fix things. We cannot trust any of the systems and people who currently are entrusted to protect the integrity of elections. The GOTV election infrastructure, poll watchers, ballot integrity and oversight that was deployed in 2024 needs to be fired up and ready to roll pronto. Primary elections start in just a few months, that is where Patriots must prevail in the R elections, not Rino's. Then we can talk about November. If we do the first part right the second part will be worth turning out for.
Yes! And you must start voting in the locals. The school superintendent and the judges and the councils
I have watched middle class people with name recognition and real principles try to do this in Maine, pour all their resources into it, and just get rolled by Soros money every time. And then sometimes someone sneaks by. A Massie, a Rand Paul, an Amash, even an MTG; but then what? As far as I can tell, underdog political campaigns are a way to transfer hard-earned money from middle class people into the pockets of the political machine. There has to be a better option than running for office.
I’m not black-pilled; I’m just not convinced that playing this game, at least at the national level, is the best use of limited resources.
In my state the D's don't have primaries, we have 'caucuses' which are basically private meetings of only party members. No outside input from registered voters who lean D, let alone the guiding hand of the open primary.
I understand.
But I just want another chance at unseating these 3 who are mightily entrenched. A newbie can be readily disposed of a few years down the road before they can settle in, and around here R's whatever their politics, can't get too comfortable. The people I'm talking about are part of the problem and in part the reason we are in this shite to begin with.
Maybe they’re just a distraction. As I said, they aren’t going to push much through the courts.
There's not much, and then there's not *anything.* It's the latter that concerns me.
Really? Because you're disappointed, you're not going to vote? Wait until the other side wins when people stay home. That will be 20 times worse than two ineffective cabinet members
I’m unlikely to vote because I think it’s ineffectual. “Disappointed” is not the right word. “Unsurprised” would be more accurate. There was a long shot chance that Trump would do something structurally important. He hasn’t. He freed Ross and I voted for that, and I voted *against* TDS lunacy and *for* a true “American First” mandate that rejected the status quo. We didn’t get that but my vote didn’t count in the actual election; it was just a statement to myself that I was with the people who wanted a real change.
Collins represents everything I loathe. She stands for nothing but the machine. Speed-limit socialism is not something I can get behind.
I hear you. I used to live in IL. It's frustrating when you know that your vote will always get overruled. But I would argue there are two reasons: the first is that things that are true now will not always be true. And momentum changes things. People are crossing over all the time. The second is, when you tell people you aren't voting, you're transmitting to others that it's not important. The enemy of the good us the perfect. I guess my only request is that you perhaps stay quiet about your choice. It's yours to make, of course. But if you could minimize the sadness that goes along with giving up, that would be nice.
No, I do not accept that instruction from you; read what you wrote. Does it sound paternalistic to you? When I do something I do it with conviction. I WANT the GOP to know that they aren’t worth the vote. Collins conspired to steal the Maine primary from Ron Paul. I will not champion her type of sleaze, and I’m not afraid to say that. Nothing will change as long as these people keep their sinecures.
Then you help the dems...trust GOD and let HIM continue HIS work.
I do trust but that doesn’t mean I have to do what someone else says that means.
Trump is a drama queen.
How many alleged drug boats have we watched exploded in government videos lately? None? Trump, like a 3 year old is off and running somewhere else.
About 40% of what Trump has presided over has been home runs. But the other 60% has been self-inflicted wounds...
Maybe drug boats are experiencing a labor slowdown due to drivers not wanting to be blown up?
Drugs no longer flowing?
Is it possible the drug lords are re-assessing their distribution networks?
Like I like to say, no one is perfect. Trump’s ego is just too pervasive within him. And he thinks short term. But he’s 1000 times better than what he ran against. Can you imagine where we’d be if Harris had won?
I disagree for I believe that Trump looks longterm at goals and how to get there. He spent years as a developer. Many of these types of people are creative and see what many do not. They see the end and figure out how to get there. They are called Visionary Leaders.
Often Visionary Leaders are hard power simply because so many will obstruct change when they see the need for the change and what it could be.
Can’t say I see that in him, but appreciate your reply.
"If voting actually changed anything, then they wouldn't let you do it"....-ever heard that?.... Harris & Walz were selected by the Puppetmasters to guarantee a Trump win....and to further the "D&C" campaign....(divide & conquer)....
I agree, Trump's a drama queen. I agree he's petulant and annoying. But why are all those things suddenly important now and worthy of contempt when for 45 other presidents we haven't given a thinkers damn what their character has been? Clinton? Spare me. Bush (one or two) gave us to the globalists. Obama? Really? Presidential and smooth on the outside, completely damaging to our republic in action. Let's go further back. LBJ? A crass pig - would make Trump look like Emily Post. Oh, I know, how about JFK? No skirt chaser there. A devoted family man... not. Forty percent is actually pretty good. By most estimates, presidents get one, maybe two of the thibgs they promise on the campaign trail accomplished. The most important thing he did was stop the slide into a dystopian nightmare of globalist control, press suppression, chopping children's parts off in second grade. This idea that we're all so above fighting back will get us the worst situation possible. The enemy of good enough is wanting perfect. Don't give up. That's what they want.
I do appreciate that you see more than you expected. I see much less but I’m willing to acknowledge it when it’s there. Right now, nothing looks permanent to me; it all looks like the Ds can bring it right back. With the courts as broken as they are, I don’t have a lot of faith.
In the short term. Long term I believe in us.
I agree. I want real change. Change that can survive a Democrat Presidency. Congress is useless.
I'm concerned.
Real change in the houses of congress will arrive on the heels of term's being limited and ironclad campaign finance reform being imposed. But what are the chances?
It will be harder for the Ds to get us back into the Paris Accords in 2029 than it was in 2021.
Same with DEI. There will be more resistance. And trans rights will look like the Salem Witch Trials of our era.
A couple of pertinent quotes from Col. J. D. "Jeff" Cooper, USMC, 1920-2006.
He was a Marine officer in WW2 and Korea, avid shooter, hunter, race car driver, instructor, and the father of modern pistol technique. https://www.thearmorylife.com/the-life-and-legacy-of-jeff-cooper/
“All the people constitute the militia — according to the Founding Fathers. Therefore every able-bodied man has a duty under the Constitution to become part of the “well-regulated” militia, specifically to understand and perform well with the individual weapon currently issued to the regular establishment. . . . Thus one who has not qualified himself with the M-16 may not be considered to be a responsible citizen.”
- Jeff Cooper
“The conclusions seem inescapable that in certain circles a tendency has arisen to fear people who fear government. Government, as the Father of Our Country put it so well, is a dangerous servant and a fearful master. People who understand history, especially the history of government, do well to fear it. For a people to express openly their fear of those of us who are afraid of tyranny is alarming. Fear of the state is in no sense subversive. It is, to the contrary, the healthiest political philosophy for a free people.”
– Jeff Cooper
"The rifle itself has no moral stature, since it has no will of its own. Naturally, it may be used by evil men for evil purposes, but there are more good men than evil, and while the latter cannot be persuaded to the path of righteousness by propaganda, they can certainly be corrected by good men with rifles."
-Jeff Cooper
Could it be that "cancel culture" and all of the regulatory sewage spewing out of Canada and the EU ***and everything in between*** is just soft powermongers trying to adapt to a hard-power world?
Or trying to get their remaining hard-power strengths (banning products from markets, fining everyone from individuals to S&P500 companies with the threat that their assets will be forcibly seized, etc.) to masquerade as, if not soft, then polite hard power?
Or using authority's inherent slippery avoidance of accountability as a feature and a defense, not a bug?
Progressives are racing to get their digital panopticon in place before the castle gets stormed, to lock in a hard-power regime masquerading as soft power. Because unless and until they get that in place, they are completely buck nekkid.
They certainly are not out-competing anyone. They are searching for power to coerce those they disagree with...
"Power to coerce"... but someone else to wield it (and themselves, to control/direct/mastermind it).
“eldritch”??
Seriously, who ARE you? And you seem to do this for no material benefit.
My feline friend, you are the best follow I’ve found since the internet started. A truly exceptional mind.👍🏼👍🏼
every cat needs a hobby.
This is one of your better pieces gato! You are at your best when you have an insight like this. As someone who started out a basic cliche dissenting republican, became a hardcore libertarian and now might be described as a hardcore Christian conservative I’ve had to mentally deal with how to accept hard power as legitimate when I developed a total mindset of rejecting the state as a legitimate institution.
Hard power is good when used to prevent genuine harm or to stop harm when it is happening.
As an example from my life my son is five and on occasion we go to the local library for story time and activities. Naturally when there are fifteen to twenty kids around that age there are going to be some that act out when the story is being read. It is interesting to observe the other parents, mostly moms, who use the “stop” “stop” “come here” as their child dutifully ignores them knowing nothing is going to happen. Whereas the kids who’s parents say stop and they stop immediately know that a second ask isn’t coming.
Why do I think that your son is one of the BEST-behaved kids there?.....amiright?....
He is well behaved but he knows that my wife and I will do what we say. We aren’t asking ten times and saying “I better not have to say it for the eleventh time son!”
I’ll give you an example from just last week. The setup is chairs in a semi-circle. The library employee that runs the story time sits in the middle. The kids if they want can sit on the floor or in the chairs with their parents. As the she was reading the story a girl who is about my son’s age pushed one of the chairs all the way inside the semi circle so she was right in front of the lady reading. The mom said “no, no” and the girl did nothing. The mom then pulled the chair back to its place. The girl got out of the chair, pushed it back to where she had moved it and the mom just sat there and did nothing further. Truly incredible stuff.
By itself, that's a very small, "nothing" kind of event. But, it does show a larger pattern. I think the "lady reading" should have said or done something, don't you?
KEEP UP the GOOD WORK, Dad!
"You used real bullets! Why did you use real bullets???"l
-- A spellcaster upon meeting the hard spell-breakers for the first time.
You are taking the pulse again, Gato. Spot on! Again!
The UN and EU are like the crossing guard in the State Farm commercial.
Actually, the EU is in a Cold War with the US. Look at what they are doing to Elon. Musk exemplifies Capitalism.
And Elon is telling them to go fuck themselves.
The EU: Respect the Vest! Elon: I’ll tackle you.