Our constant hysterical political climate disgusts me. Trump’s constant braggadocio, petty attacks and rambling , fact-free word salads disgust me. The Democrats and media hysterical spin about Trump disgusts me. As far as political commentary or analysis goes, the various smart takes in 2016 remain the same in 2019, as our American political hamster wheel spins round and round.
For the most part lately, I’ve gotten off the daily habit of tracking the partisan spin throughout the day. Perhaps if something interesting or new happens, I’ll write about it, but fair warning, the rest of this post will be another detour about my efforts to make peace between our consumerist culture and the myriad counter-cultural efforts to combat our wasteful American lifestyle.
Last night I watched a short CNN video on Twitter about a fashion designer, zero waste daniel, who started a clothing design business using only scrap fabric waste. His approach of sewing together small scraps of fabric to create larger pieces of fabric, from which to construct his clothing designs, while being a trendy environmental-mindful concept, does highlight our society’s love affair with consumer goods, where most of us acquire way more than we consume and live totally unconcerned about our wastefulness.
There’s a common mindset among more conservative Americans and the political right to dismiss everything coming from the liberal environmentalist echo chamber, but perhaps we should all try to be a little more open to listening and considering the merits of ideas, before making snap partisan political judgments.
Many aspects of our environmentally conscious activism do stem from the political left, then take hold in American businesses, who react to the political activism. Many businesses respond to and embrace the latest politicized framing of appropriate environmentally conscious policies. This type of political pressure infuriates many on the right.
On the merits, though, pushing all of the politics aside, being less wasteful, using less disposable packaging and taking a more mindful approach to our consumer habits seem like very traditional, conservative American thrifty values, that would even have appealed to Benjamin Franklin and most of our American founders. The less wasteful approaches definitely were ingrained habits to my parents and grandparents.
Moving to a crafting/needlework blog post, explains why I haven’t been blogging much lately… I have been stitching away… using all stuff that’s been sitting here for many years.
I struggle with my consumerist mindset and am working to rethink my relationship with purchasing many items, that clutter up my home, and often have never been used. However, moving to a zero waste lifestyle takes way more commitment and effort than I will expend, so it’s small steps in my life.
For decades, I purchased loads of craft and needlework supplies, without much concern or thought about the possibility of having too much stuff. Yet, the thought of parting with my craft and needlework stuff just isn’t happening yet, but I now strive not to buy more, unless it’s some basic supply that I really need.
A few years ago, I began an effort to make projects using only stuff I already have and that’s what that hummingbird cross-stitch picture above is. I bought a bunch of small Spring-themed counted cross-stitch kits (and some not so small ones too) on clearance at Walmart, over the many years that I worked there. I stitched a couple of these a few years ago and posted a photo, but never fear, I have more to go:
I have a hard time seeing to stitch on 18-count, so I used 14 Aida cloth from my supplies for the hummingbird and a bunny kit last weekend. I bought two of the bunny kits, for no logical reason…:
I did finish that Diane Graebner Amish design (out of the hoop and needs pressing):
Learning more about finishing my needlework into some useful or decorative item leads me to read a lot of cross-stitch blogs and browse Pinterest frequently. That habit leads me to want… more new cross stitch stuff, especially the nicer linens and evenweave fabrics and threads. It takes a constant effort to remind myself that, while stitching on plain old Aida cloth isn’t as nice as stitching on expensive fabrics, these kits and Aida projects still look nice, I think.
Yesterday afternoon, I was torturing myself looking at the blog of a very talented cross stitch designer, Brenda Gervais. All of her patterns scream, “I want to stitch that!”. Gervais wrote a short background story to her 2017 series, Summer Schoolhouse ~ Lessons in Abecedarian. She relates how she found a small children’s book while hunting for antiques, but it wasn’t just any old book. It was a copy of the oldest children’s book in the Library of Congress and it’s considered to be the oldest children’s book in print. This book contains the first documented use of the word, baseball. In the process of browsing cross stitch blogs, I learned a new word: abecedarian and a bit of historical trivia too.
To fill my fix for something new, there are lots of free patterns online. I stitched this free St.Patrick’s Day cats piece, by Lynn B., twice. I am going to make them into little decorative pillows or perhaps frame them, but one is for a family member and then I liked these black cats so much, I stitched one for me too:
Yesterday, was another free pattern start, Russian Dolls, this one from DMC:
Plus, I have a bigger cross stitch project of a Liberty Bell, that’s in progress, but that one deserves a fancier Belfast white linen, not plain old Aida cloth. Just started this, so it’s only the top of Independence Hall and some of the lettering:
Of course, still working on plastic canvas too:
Not sure what I’ll do with this house picture, but it’s a design that I like, so I stitched it…
It’s very hard for me to concentrate on writing lately, but I’ll try to get back to politics soon.
libertybelle diaries 
Pretty sure LB the lady’s take wasn’t anything (or much anyway) to do with “culture war” per se. Apparently she had some sort of *similar experience in Germany as Mwhere. She touched on it but we’ve not had much opportunity – hers and my paths aren’t compatible to our talking, far much less for actual discussion.
However she did think she knew who the General was and tho I never confirmed anything, she was spot on as I understand it. Navy would have called her MOS “JAG” (commisioned) I don’t know what the other services call their lawyers.
Anyway she’d originally planned a career but exited after only six. Didn’t give me a firm date but I got the impression it had to be close to 1992.
She’s not the fighter you are.
My internet was down all day yesterday, JK. so saw this this morning. I try not to think about that mess these days. The corruption in both political parties spread since the late 90s, that’s for sure. There’s no accountability for the big names within the political class in America… except apparently, for Trump, who the #Resist effort shows no signs of abating. Perhaps, Democrats want to run against Trump again, because they’re sure making him a martyr and giving him a platform.
Long time no visit LB. Hope you’re well. And the spinning spinning world ain’t got you too far down. Gardening going well?
Here I had to give pretty much up on my outside efforts, first it was rabbits but lately it’s been mostly raccoons – man those critters are clever little devils! (I suppose I could get serious and do what my neighbors have resorted to but ever since my active service ended I basically swore off unnecessary killing of any living creatures – aside from bugs/spiders in the house – I do eat venison from time to time, but my nephews or friends who’ve gifted me the stuff are the ones who do the hunting.) If I had the funds to build a “fortress greenhouse” that might work but with the coons around here I’m reckoning a regular ol’ greenhouse wouldn’t be enough to trick out Arkansas’ raccoons.
Matter of fact – sorta seriously – sometimes I find myself worrying I maybe should probably build a garage rather than depend on my carport to protect me from the coons hotwiring my pickup and stealing it. But while the are pretty doggone big coons I think they’re not so big that they could “easily” sit in the seat and at the same time manipulate the steering wheel and at the same time, reach their feet down to the clutch and accelerator pedals and also operate the shifter.
Thank God I don’t drive an automatic transmission pickup!
And then there’s this year’s pollen. Worst I’ve ever experienced. Sunday last after church I weed-eated my outermost perimeters. Been down ever since (until yesterday). Today’s the first time in seven days I’ve felt well enough to even leave the house. Came over to Mom’s to pick her up to go to church but she say’s “Doggone JK, way you’re coughing and hacking I don’t reckon the preacher’d appreciate your messing with his message; why don’t you get on the computer, visit your friends and I’ll just go by myself and tell ’em you’re under the weather?” … and who am I to argue with my hillbilly Mom?
So here I are LB. Just wanted to say ‘Hi, Glad you’re the one keeping up with the news so I don’t have to’!
Not sure why your comment switched to Array, JK, but somehow it went to the spam folder and when I clicked approve, it showed up as Array. Mysteries of the internet, I guess.
Sorry to hear about your allergy problems and I know how miserable that is. A lot of things trigger my allergy attacks. I can relate to the battle against critters too. Even with a fenced in backyard, possums, armadillos, rabbits, raccoons and snakes regularly find their way in. I did go ahead with the container garden thing again. However, I must say that it will take a few years of bumper crops to break even on how much I spent last spring to get started with this container garden. This spring I’ve tried to keep costs down and use stuff I have from last year. I saved some seeds, but I have been buying seeds throughout the year, so I had plenty of seeds for this year.
Once I make up my mind on where I want raised beds and perhaps an in-ground garden area too, I might expand my backyard gardening effort sometime.
As to the politics, well, I had been good about skipping a lot of that drama, but then slowly, I’ve been paying more attention to it again. That’s a clear sign I need to get back to some of my other hobbies, lol.
Hobbies … YES
I’ve never heard of Array, what’s it mean?
Oh, and squirrels too – except they seem mostly intent on my birdfeeder.
I got to get to the feedstore before they close so, Later
Heard on the radio t’other day LB, your “general” area experienced some serious storminess. But today’s the first opportunity I’ve got to check storm reports out – looks like yours was the 14th?
You come through alright (I will soon be hitting your most current post so … )?
Here – went through a 26 day period of absolutely no rain whatsoever so, my mowing has been nil – then, just as your area was getting hit ours began getting some (rain) relief – nothing serious though. But the first “good” rain was just Friday [2+”] and then early this morning maybe an additional half inch or so.
At any rate, hope you’re well. Fine here. Later.
The bad storms missed us, JK. I’m still trying to get past infections – on another round of antibiotics.
Awhile back LB you had up something on egg substitutes. Yesterday I was out with my Amish pals and one of ’em mentioned using powdered eggs. Alas he wasn’t so much help where instructions were concerned. Mom had me over for steaks this evening and while she remembered her Mom using ’em during the war (WWII not the more recent ones) she wasn’t so whoopie on instructions either. I did find this I though helpful:
https://www.mashed.com/1336500/all-ways-use-powdered-eggs/
I figure USDA or some other gummint agency likely has a whole rundown on the subject it’s just that I can’t sem to find the time for much leisure time on the computer. You ever use ’em, know a good, thorough resource?
Alls well here – until day before yesterday (when the thunderstorms set in) – been hotter than the dickens, miserable humid too. Hope you and yours are well.
Glad you had water at that moment’s notice. Your post reminds me I need to rotate some of mine out. I did get me a Berkey too. (Though I’ve long carried types of stuff like Sawyer’s has … and I keep a poncho available for solely using for evaporation type sourcing.)
Pray all your recent health stuff (been awhile I know; Sorry) has improved tolerably well. Take care. I will have some time tomorrow. Later.
Good to hear all is well with you, JK. I just got over another bout of upper respiratory mess and I think it was COVID – completely lost my taste for a few days. I’m on the mend now and over the coughing. I didn’t bother with getting a COVID test and I never got any of the home tests. I just stayed at home away from people.
Well, as far as the egg substitutes, there are lots of things that can be substituted for eggs in baking, but I had purchased some Red Mills egg replacer and it’s a powder that you mix with water and use in baking. It worked fine, but it’s really pricey for what it is. Here’s a link on some other options: https://www.biggerbolderbaking.com/egg-substitutes-for-baking/
When it comes to actual dehydrated eggs or freeze-dried eggs for making scrambled eggs, I dehydrated some eggs and the directions said to lightly scramble them before dehydrating.
The dehydrating worked fine and the end product looks like small granules. The reconstituting with water and then masking scrambled eggs with them worked, but mine have a sort of rubbery texture and smell too eggy for my taste. There are several brands of dehydrated and freeze-dried eggs I’ve seen online, but they’re all very expensive. One of the cheaper packages is Judee’s brand dried whole eggs, 11 ounces for $23.99. https://www.amazon.com/Judees-Whole-Egg-Powder-11oz/dp/B01G24Z06G/ref=sr_1_4_sspa?crid=2747DXGBQW9R9&keywords=dried+eggs&qid=1689388058&sprefix=dried+eggs%2Caps%2C119&sr=8-4-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&psc=1
I rarely bake anymore, so this bag of Red Mills egg replacer will probably go bad long before I use all of it. And I keep telling myself I need to use up that quart-size canning jar of dehydrated eggs I made, but then I open up the fridge and use fresh eggs, lol.
Bi-Partisanship 101 in case you missed it LB:
https://areaocho.com/exploding-debt/
…
The “my Amish pals” I mentioned are fellows who as you know, don’t [can’t] drive but : because they’ll contract to do jobs (and they do really really good quality work whatever the job) Most times, they need transportation.
(“Our Amish” are only fairly recently arrived [2016?] and their *Elder/*Founder – since deceased – “ensured his flock establish good relations with the local *Good English.*
My Mom for whatever reason apparently fitting that bill (Mom’s Dad was what they call around here … well it depends who is asked. It runs the gamut : on the good side he was known as what’s called – here – ‘a hard shell/deep water Baptist’ : on the other end, ‘a hard as*** religious zealot’ – he died when I was 10 but though, ancestrally English what I remember most vividly about him was that, while he “explained” the homilies in Hillbilly – he read The Word from Scripture in (what I understood at the time to be) German.
I personally remember him as the kindest, gentlest man I ever knew. *A number of the other denominations Preachers considered him otherwise.
At any rate – ol’ JK is “seen fit” to be acceptable to drive the younger/youngish fellows around to do their contract work. I probably should have expanded on this earlier LB – in tiny bites – so it wouldn’t seem so complicated now.
Anyway. As to the powdered eggs – my pals (actually their grandparents) would put 99.9% of the yootoober “preppers” – tails tucked – to shame.
I don’t think I need go beyond that with you Friend on your blog.
My Mom never ceases to amaze me.
Between spending astronomical amounts of money our government doesn’t have and staging sideshow hearings, that accomplish nothing, both sides of the aisle in Washington don’t seem to have time to actually fix anything. That’s why I’ve come to believe that solutions to fix anything in America, if they come, won’t be from the federal government. I’m also not buying into the binary choice hysteria in 2024, because I don’t think electing a Republican will save America and electing a Democrat will doom us. Democrats hype this same “existential election” drama too and I’ve gradually come to the conclusion that any changes for the better, if they come, will come from communities and perhaps states. Everyone in elected office in Washington is more beholden to big donors and powerful interests, like big corporations and the mega-rich, rather than ordinary Americans.
Hey LB!
Alls well here. Well hotter’n the dickens but I guess that’s likely the case all over. My fledgling birds began taking wing July 28 (sparrows) then on the 30 cardinals – just two of those tho’ one male, one female. And I think maybe I’ve “discovered” how to identify whether birds are of this year’s product [?] whitish patches on [mainly] the wing surfaces. And if further research holds up – big if – I reckon maybe I had crow young making appearances some week or so earlier.
Got a recommendation for you LB. Haven’t been paying attention to this stuff as I might’ve in earlier [my media watching] periods but I do – TRY – to listen in to this one guy’s daily radio broadcast (problem: it airs beginning at 5 AM my time and my “normal wakeup” is nearer 0630 or so).
I really only caught the last hour of the broadcast (apparently there’s a podcast that goes on for an additional hour but I’ve never bothered)
Anyway Hugh’s apparently maybe a “brother-in-arms” to Andrew McCarthy – one thing that made me smile yesterday when I listened in was “All these purported crimes being of a state of mind nature, Trump’s best defense would be to plead Insanity. I mean, this guy hears/reads stuff on the internet AND BELIEVES IT! I mean people c’mon that’s crazy. And by the way, don’t believe journalists who don’t have a law degree but if they do and they’ve never worked in the DoJ, you can basically ignore whatever they have to say too.”
Breath of fresh air if you ask me LB.
Hope you’re – and yours – are well too LB.
Now I reckon I’ll hit your current post [in case you’ve already posted on “the narrative de jure”]. Hope you garden is doing well. Later LB. JK
I can’t get the sound up on that link. The air date was yesterday, August 2nd. I hit his homepage as well but that specific show isn’t up (yet?).
Well, JK, I haven’t read anything about the Trump indictments, not even my go-to legal analyst, Andrew McCarthy. I can’t stand Trump, but the lengths Democrats and the Garland DOJ have gone to takedown Trump deeply disturbs me. It’s all so nakedly political. When they raided his home, all I thought was how Democrats would have been outraged if any Dem former president was treated that way and the Clintons defied subpoenas from the FBI in the the email investigation, Hillary never did turn over numerous devices, a laptop and several of her aides also didn’t comply with subpoenas. I reached the point where I don’t believe the details matter one iota in any of this political war going on, that’s largely the spin info war, but also abusing federal executive power to target political enemies. We are on a dangerous path, as both the rule of law and the culture unravel more daily.
Almost daily there’s a news story that doesn’t garner much attention that alarms the heck out of me – the Chines malware story – well, the national security implications there are as potentially catastrophic as a conventional military attack – maybe even more dire. The stuff I’ve read about a grid down situation are truly scary – our civilization will unravel in weeks and that quote by Reagan about “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.,” was before our internet-connected world and how completely every major system now relies on the electrical grid and the internet. The Fitch downgrade was another alarm bell to me, but I doubt most people even in Washington gave it much notice, because Dems are fixated on Trump drama and Republicans are fixated on Hunter Biden drama.
I’ve tweeted a bit supportive of DeSantis over Trump, but truthfully I don’t think it ultimately matters who the Republican candidate is, because there is no way Democrats, the powerful elites in big tech, the left activist cabal, and the powerful international players are going to allow a Republican president upset their green/social transformation, which goes way beyond just green energy. Their new global order is close at hand and they will not allow one election to get in the way of that. While I don’t believe 2020 was “stolen” in the normal sense of “stolen,” I believe all sorts of voting rules were changed under the guise of COVID to tilt the playing field for Dems. In 2024, well, I just feel this election is too critical for Dems to allow anything to get in the way of keeping a Dem in the WH. I’ve been reading Klaus Schwab’s follow-up book to his ‘The Great Reset’ and that one is called ‘The Great Narrative.’ It feels like I’m reading a dystopian novel at times. Anyway, my take is they’re ready to move past the nation-state world order and move on to an interconnected structure of world leaders, business and banking elites, big tech elites, academics, think-tank gurus and NGO types to manage the world through various UN and international organizations.
The right-wing in America was asleep at the switch, as all the groundwork has been laid for this over the past 20 or so years and now that the final implementation efforts are imminent, so many on the right are just now getting a clue, but they’re so far behind that I’m not very optimistic for efforts to put the brakes on. DeSantis is the only one who seems to grasp most of this, while Trump is about Trump and he likes the WEF push for 15-minute cities, where tens of thousands of people will be crammed in to live and work, with controlled access/exit points (the easier to lockdown) and he wants to build some on federal land and call them “freedom cities.”
Yep, I’m in a very pessimistic mood lately.
Well Mrs. Lincoln, other than that, how was the play?
‘Pessimistic’ doesn’t even come close to where my mood is LB.
…
Aaand let’s not forget, that “homebrew server” that undoubtedly held (holds?) far far more *sensitive documents* than all the oh so serious about this classified documents – now – IGs and DoJ prosecutors are going on about.
(Remember how you, circa 2015-16 were saying, “The media with all this free publicity is going to wind up getting the guy elected. … The media got Trump elected.”?
We may well find ourselves in a repeat of that scenario and if that happens – Katy bar the door.)
You mentioning the homebrew server, brought to mind, Queen Hillary. She’s now going to lead the charge for Dems to create a federal behemoth to fix our broken “social connections” and cure our loneliness epidemic: https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/08/hillary-clinton-essay-loneliness-epidemic/674921/
Senator Murphy proposed the National Strategy for Social Connection Act a couple weeks ago and this is another federal surveillance and social engineering project in the works. In Hillary’s view the loneliness epidemic in America is all the fault of dangerous right-wing demagogues, but rest assured she’s been ahead of the curve on all of this and has the solutions to restructure our… villages.
Hillary’s piece was titled, The Weaponization of Loneliness, which is the exact title of the Stella Morabito book I’m reading. Started it on Hoopla, but then went ahead a bought a paper copy. Morabito’s subtitle differs from Hillary’s article though: “How Tyrants Stoke Fear of Isolation to Silence, Divide, and Conquer” and chronicles how leftist policies have helped create the American loneliness epidemic. Morabito covers loads of research from history, psychology, sociology, propaganda techniques, etc. I’m working on a blog post about Hillary trying to steal a march on Dems’ “social connection” crusade and claim her defacto “village elder” position…
Happy Days In Georgia! I reckon?
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/irony
At least since William T. Sherman visited?
I found it “odd” that the news dropped on precisely the very anniversary of … well … surely to goodness craven politics couldn’t possibly be purposefully set to detract from such as this? I couldn’t, in this country anyway … maybe a banana republic but: ever dream of it being possible.
(Good book by the way, I recommend it)
https://www.thethinkingconservative.com/kabul-the-untold-story-of-bidens-fiasco-and-the-american-warriors-who-fought-to-the-end/
I lead this thought mentioning irony because – in my view – ironies abound: I’ll only be especially noting one. However for the sake of memory lane consider:
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=122420&page=1
But it doesn’t even begin there. This most recent (and present iteration at any rate) episode. Consider, numerous *journalists/media experts* got awarded Pulitzer Prizes for their reporting on the Steele Dossier which is now, nearly universally, recognized as a total fabrication, a “fiction” if you will – seeing as it was a product of an opposing candidate’s smear campaign.
Golly. Heretofore there I was thinking Pulitizers were reserved solely for “serious journalism” – I had no idea the Pulitzer Committee had a Fiction Category.
And then there was the media declaration of the Laptop From Hell being “Russian DisInformation” – and no less than 50 “High Ranking *Intelligence* Officials signed off on a letter saying so.
And we can’t go doubting the veracity of our Intelligence Experts now can we?
Am I there yet? Nope, another thing – the media insisted to us ordinary people that all the whole shebang of “doubts about the election was totally debunked!”
Yet when we regular folks recall what actually happened – that the Courts being “extremely reluctant” to insert themselves into what no less than Andrew McCarthy – among others – patiently explained was a political matter (an thus not an issue the Courts were designed to be involved in) the media nevertheless insisted “debunked” and that’s that.
But the irony of ironies is this:
The same people who [& through their media proxies] have been demanding the “defunding the police” (post Michael ‘Where’s the Video’ Brown & Saint Floyd) are the very same people who today are cheering on exactly the tactics used in a Police State.
(Sorry for rambling LB but this post is after all, A Rambling Blogpost isn’t it?)
One last thing – I noticed the quite liberal Ruth Marcus “seems/may” harbor some reservations too:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/08/14/georgia-indictment-trump-willis/
I know the indictments of Trump are bs., JK. However, I have no sympathy for Trump, because he feeds ammunition to his enemies, who use it against him constantly. I also know that while Trump excelled at engaging in the same amoral spin info war tactics as the Dems, he is no match for their corrupt lawfare tactics and neither is his legal team. He works against his own lawyers and fewer and fewer are even willing to risk their own careers for him. Seeing Trumpers attacking Gov.. Kemp today on Twitter got me ticked off though, considering Trump tried to destroy him for opening GA early from the lockdowns and even said Stacey Abrams would be a better governor.
I think DeSantis gets the scope of the corrupt Dem lawfare and progressive legislative battlefield, but he’s not as good at the media game. Plus he’s got TeamTrump, Dems and the liberal media trying to destroy him.
I am not real hopeful for the GOP prospects at the moment. Dem have their own problems though with Biden and I expect him to make a graceful exit” before the end of the year and another Dem to run.
As I’ve said for years now – this corruption with the Dem’s scorched earth spin info war, win at by means necessary politics combined with a media that is totally corrupted too, well, America’s headed down a dangerous path.
Oh crap LB. Please don’t misunderstand me, I don’t give a hoot about Trump the man – you’ve read how I put it on that Turcopolier thread – I do not want Trump on the Republican ticket! whatsoever.
However – the Democrats certainly do want him leading the polls (and by extension, his “base”). That accomplishes two main functions: One; the Rs are thrown into internecine warfare and Two, the Ds win by default. (Your above “I am not real hopeful for the GOP prospects.)
However my primary objection is this – the much vaunted “America’s unique Due Process” is gone by the wayside. Kaput. And “blind justice”?
Exhibit I
If Team Trump’s actions rise to the level of demanding prosecution – and a RICO case at that! – then, blind justice demands “equality before the law” must extend all such instances be likewise.
I (hopefully) rest my case.
Well, JK, Dems always overplay their hand, so I won’t be surprised if they come up with more indictments, because as DeSantis calls this – the Dems play lawfare and despite Trump having an unsurpassed ability to win the spin war battles against liberal media – he is losing badly at lawfare. The next level battle against the Dems really is lawfare and eviscerating the administrative state and so far, as I’ve said, DeSantis is the only Repub who has shown a talent for that.
Trump’s rate of attrition with lawyers is a bloodbath, with so many of his lawyers ending up indicted, bankrupt or fleeing the field and he’s got as many recruitment problems as the US military, at the moment. Folks don’t want to join the woke Army and top talent lawyers don’t want to jeopardize their livelihoods to join TeamTrump. Trump even hired many of the lawyers aiding in destroying him. And haven’t seen the Dems lose any top lawyers yet.
‘Lo LB. Hope you weathered the storm[s]. Thankfully the heats broken here. All is well.
As I’ve mentioned, lately I’ve taken to listening to the Hugh Hewitt (radio) show and last week he interviewed a fellow name of Jonathon Haidt – while not a Leftie Haidt’s definitely a Liberal (in the old sense of the word). Apparently he’s got a book coming out sometime in March of next year The Anxious Generation but, because its yet to be published Mr. Hewitt’s primary focus was on an article Haidt published in the Atlantic. Here’s a link to the interview – whether you can get it to play … it’s on Apple …
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-most-important-pod-that-parents-will-ever-hear/id1517313007?i=1000626353539
The book can be pre-ordered (I think)
https://www.amazon.com/Anxious-Generation-Rewiring-Childhood-Epidemic/dp/B0C9N2L56X
(I’m gonna be ordering it for a niece who’s a new mother) And likely for my Granddaughter who’s own daughter just started 1st this year.
Here’s The Atlantic article:
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/06/ban-smartphones-phone-free-schools-social-media/674304/
The main reason I think bringing that to your attention is that, somehow, this ties into a subject you’ve long been trying to bring attention to, The Scorched Earth Spin War. I’ve abandoned working on my thesis of why voting – or at any rate, “thinking about voting for RFK Jr” – M (and I sort of expect yourself lol) have too many valid counterarguments.
Incidentally, I have read a book Haidt co-authored with another guy, Greg something – The Coddling of the American Mind.
Thanks for these links, JK. I had heard of The Coddling of the American Mind, but haven’t read it. I’ll try to listen to the interview.
Howdy LB, long time no see [read]. Hope you and yours are well, all’s fine here.
Yesterday as I was getting my “daily dose” of the Hugh Hewitt [radio] Show, I listened to what hugh calls ‘The Hillsdale Dialogs’ . Yesterday’s guest was a fellow by the name of Matt Spalding, a Dean [I think] of some department [ again, I think, likely the law school ]. At any rate I found it to be a very *enlightening discussion.
The subject matter to hand had to do with “The Foundations of US Jurisprudence – Due Process/Rule of Law.” ( I actually studied the subject in a Con-Law uni course.)
I figured I was going to have to, to try to get this interview to you – which, I think, you particularly will find useful as well as instructive – Anyway I figured I’d have to try linking from someplace via the Hewitt sites. BUT: I took a shot and searched the Hillsdale site and found a site dedicated solely to the dialogs.
It needs be said Hewitt is definitely not a Trump fan, as for Mr. Spalding I haven’t a clue.
At about fifteen minutes in, the talk gets into History. Which, I know you’re a fan of:
https://podcast.hillsdale.edu/the-roots-of-our-constitution/
Enjoy (Might even get a post our of it LB). I got a kick out of your Granholm Tours America piece LB.
Thanks JK, that really was an interesting podcast. I actually go to Hillsdale’s site and have been doing some of their free online courses, but I didn’t see these podcasts. I also have gotten their Imprimus newsletter for years too.
Thought you’d probably enjoy that LB.
One thing tho … I’d been familiar with Imprimis for a considerable time – M used to, from time to time link it on his site – However, just a couple days after I’d placed the link here to the Hillsdale Podcasts site I got – in the mail – an invitation to receive what you’ve apparently been getting “for several years [too].”
I called Hillsdale up and asked, “How did you get my name ?” And was told “It’s usually noted in the letter you got.”
But it wasn’t – and I took some pains looking for that referral. I did though go ahead and subscribe to it in any case.
However the mystery remains, how did they get my name … You wouldn’t by any chance LB; be able to shed a little light on any of that eh?
In any case, whoever … Thanks much.
I had nothing to do with you receiving a copy of Imprimis, JK. I don’t sign anyone up for any sort of mailings, or God forbid, emails. I’m forever clicking “unsubscribe” on email clutter that floods into my inbox.
Good to know, and thanks for the reassurance.
Almost … almost commented on your current post LB but I think you mostly covered it.
Dropped by Mark’s place a minute or so ago (well, longer than that – there’s some good links to read). Figured you would likely find it useful.
https://havechanged.blogspot.com/2023/10/the-right-gesture.html
Thanks for that link, JK. I kind of was hoping the Islamist terrorism threat was in our rearview mirror, even though I knew that was wishful thinking. Plus, there are big players who are trying to aggressively assert themselves and bump us into a has-been world leader status.
If America escapes not having a major terrorist event from all those illegals flooding across our border, it will be a miracle.
FOX News reported this today: https://twitter.com/GriffJenkins/status/1712908419114442950
Thanks. I’ve been hearing about (radio news hours,Hewitt, even occasionally NPR) “terror watch-listed military age males” being documented – Why not turned back hasn’t been addressed! – crossing, mainly, into New Mexico.
I noted on your current post LB, that, paraphrasing, “I’m not keeping up on [all] today’s [world] events.”
And it is very difficult to nowadays (and especially so since we lost NightWatch and John’s analysis). And neither our legacy media nor – and to me most problematically – the supposedly “conservative” outlets. Perhaps most worrisome is our old reliable Reuters World, seems to me, is mostly taking the easy way out by “spinning” its news along a mostly US-centric view.
But there is something of an alternative out there – and I don’t know why (well maybe because it’s subscription – paywall) but these people do a really good job of being in-depth and wide ranging. You might see if there’s a “try out” [short-term] deal and see if it’s up your alley. I find it very useful – I’ve had an eye on, especially Africa, even before our Biden [State Dept] really got going.
https://www.dailychatter.com/
Just a “heads up” that you might want to check in on Mark’s site from time to time LB
(Though I think, for the most part at least, we two knew this long long ago.)
https://havechanged.blogspot.com/2023/10/the-durham-report-part-1.html
Well, JK, with the Clintons greedily pedaling foreign influence through their foundation, the Obama radical connections and selling out America, and now Biden with more of the same, it’s obvious some people really are above the law. Plus I think we’re more likely to be dealing with terrorist threats, at home and abroad, than not, and a looming wider war, so I don’t have the energy to wander back into the Durham report. I suspect all their corrupt foreign dealings have left us very vulnerable and historians down the road will be wondering how America let all this wholesale public corruption at the highest levels of our government go unchecked.
While I can’t stand Trump, all along, I’ve said the Russians and Chinese just played his ego and ran massive operations to sow chaos, while Trump reveled in being the Disruptor in Chief. His policies were better for America, but he did nothing to try to unite America ever.
Both parties are train wrecks in their own ways – Dems are sold out to the far-left and the GOP is a circular firing squad. I worry about the state of our country a great deal.
“Both parties are train wrecks in their own ways – Dems are sold out to the far-left and the GOP is a circular firing squad. I worry about the state of our country a great deal.”
Robert Gates couldn’t (and didn’t) put it any better than that LB – all this bickering and one-ups-manship is pushing us to the brink. And with our current inflation and dependence on the supply train of the very … er, “opponents” we’re now currently facing – not to mention a POTUS race in our very near future – I think things are gonna get way worse before we can begin to turn our ship of state around.
Hang onto our hats!
Oh my my my LB.
Thanks for the tip pointing me to read the online version of the “National Security
Genius</strike Dope's" offering. Tell you the truth I could only get about a third of the way through the print version before laying it aside as useless.Oops. Meant to stop my “strike thru” after just the Genius bit.
Oops. Meant to end my strikethru just after the genius bit.
I was thinking the archives might be interesting, since they go back to the 1920s, JK. I only read the Gates piece in the latest edition, lol, and then headed to the archives.
Not exactly “LOL” but …
https://bayourenaissanceman.blogspot.com/2023/11/heh.html
Just read something of Mark’s LB I figured you’d, maybe, find common ground with:
https://havechanged.blogspot.com/2023/11/the-mediaintelligence-community-complex.html
Incidentally, alls well here. hope you and yours are as well.
Thanks for the link, JK. Your friend’s take on the media is where I’m at too, but I have noticed a lot of partisans trust media that feeds their partisan viewpoints and the more extreme the partisans, the more loyal they seem to be to certain media venues and especially media personalities. I admit I used to consume mostly right-wing media, but as the spin war went off the rails completely, I realized the right-wing media is as unreliable as the liberal media.
I was (and still am) a very conservative person, but it’s bizarre that I’ve become a dedicated centrist, in believing America’s got to fortify the middle if we hope to be able to hold our country together, as the swelling ranks of angry partisans race to embrace more and more extreme ideas on “how to save America.” Each side gets worked up, then races to get behind the latest bonkers remedy for what ails our country that some media personality is selling.
Your friend also is right about how much time and effort it takes to dig for reliable information, but the reality is most people like to swallow whole whatever their preferred media talking heads are feeding them and they want it in 30 second or less video bites.
“[B]ut it’s bizarre that I’ve become a dedicated centrist .. .”
Welcome to the club LB. My only question would be …
What’s taken you so long !!?
LB.
The *Republicans* are never going to be allowed a seat in the Oval Office again.
GW Bush (supposedly one of our own) passed the *Patriot Act and Department Of Homeland Security came with that. The PA was originally set to “sunset” – (yeah right just like all the other Acts oif Congress passed to “sunset”
https://taxfoundation.org/blog/spanish-american-war-tax-1898-2006/
Notice the name in the above? Senator Wyden?
https://www.cnn.com/2015/05/22/politics/patriot-act-debate-explainer-nsa/index.html
https://www.wyden.senate.gov/news/press-releases/wyden-to-oppose-patriot-act-renewal
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/10/19/hunter-biden-story-russian-disinfo-430276
IN THE BEGINNING Democrats were the most vociferous opponents of the Patriot Act.
But that changed.
Why?
Convenience.
https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/34764-the-whole-aim-of-practical-politics-is-to-keep-the
https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/27042-as-democracy-is-perfected-the-office-of-president-represents-more
https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/1314680-people-willing-to-trade-their-freedom-for-temporary-security-deserve
2024 I’m reckoning LB, will be one for the record books …
The second quote for sure, JK
Merry Christmas my Friend.
Merry Christmas, JK!
Heard this on the radio last week but forgot about it until I just ran onto it now. (You may already be aware of it).
https://www.military.com/daily-news/2023/12/29/air-force-said-its-nuclear-missile-capsules-were-safe-toxins-lurked-documents-show.html
Read this LB. The “more truthful” tale of all this stuff is beginning to dribble out. A footnote : ol’ JK tried to get “some stuff” cleared (not this agency rather the military one) so JK might put on offer a book of his own but, first the GWs of the world decided, in their wisdom, to extend the 30 year prohibition on referencing *classified “stuff” to 60 years – and then “you know who” gets the SecState – at which point I quit even bothering to maintain my TS clearance never-you-mind my TS/SCI;
* I “think I’ve mentioned some stuff whether on your site maybe, definitely David Duff’s
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie_Wilson%27s_War_(film)
But where – and when – got definitively aware was at this point:
https://www.fbi.gov/history/famous-cases/uss-cole-bombing
Regardless of whatever/however I think, the book is a worthy read.
Thanks for these links, JK. The Patriot Act certainly has been a Pandora’s box. All those crazy excesses, like the airport security measures that just harassed passengers and useless watchlists paved the way for the pandemic “social mitigation” excesses and who knows where we’re going to end up with the new drive to combat “disinformation and misinformation.”
There’s a crazy story in the UK with a boogie woogie piano player, Brendan Kavanaugh, who records at public pianos in train stations. Some CCP-connected TV people demanded he stop recording in the London train station and called the police. Now, this guy has been accused of being insensitive to the Chinese for pointing out the the UK is a free country.
The police woman who showed up – took the side of the Chinese and started lecturing him about his insensitivity. Then the public piano was roped off for a day, but since Elton John donated that public piano, that ended up as an embarrassment and Elton John was contacted for a response to that public piano being roped off by authorities. Then they freed the public piano, but now YouTube has threatened to take down Kavanaugh’s livestream of that encounter with the CCP-connected TV crew (they were waving Chinese flags in that London station). It’s all craziness.
I’ve been watching Kavanaugh for years, because he’s very talented and plays everything from classical music to boogie woogie and he’s amazingly good at piano improvisation.
Here’s one of my favorite Kavanaugh videos, interacting with travelers at the train station ( 4 years ago): https://youtu.be/j8gXVOcKE50?si=hLGT5lVNW5skel_e
Did that link to the particular book I was pointing to not show up? I don’t see it in my previous comment. Here’s a video, the fourth part at 3:55, is what I’m mainly concerned about:
(I actually saw that video elsewhere however the info included then really wasn’t adequate to explain what was going on. Thanks much LB.)
This video is quite interesting, JK. Haven’t I been yammering since the Steele dossier revelations that they’re following the men involved, not the women for years now? Comey was so quick to vindicate Huma Abedin, the Hillary State Dept. email record-keeper… storing all of them on the Weiner family laptop. Abedin also orchestrated the Bill Clinton homebrew server upgrade, as Hillary was becoming Sec. of State, and Hillary used her blackberry email, but according to the two Clinton IT peeps, Cooper and Pagliano, it there were only two email accounts on the original server that were transferred to the upgraded server – one said it was Hillary’s and the other said it was Abedin’s. Then there was Glenn Simpson at Fusion GPS, whose wife was a Hillary associate, all the way back to the Rose Law firm. And Bruce Ohr, whose wife Nellie was a Russian expert. Here’s a 2019 report, https://thehill.com/opinion/white-house/441580-nellie-ohrs-hi-honey-emails-to-doj-about-russia-collusion-should-alarm-us/:
“They clearly show that Ohr sent reams of open-source intelligence to her husband, Associate Deputy Attorney General Bruce Ohr, and on some occasions to at least three DOJ prosecutors: Lisa Holtyn, Ivana Nizich and Joseph Wheatley.”
Then we move to this new “cognitive security” apparatus that the Obama administration has been orchestrating within the US government – all through Trump’s presidency. And there again is a female, British data scientist, who the Obama team put in charge of this “preventing another 2016” effort. She’s got decades of experience working for the British military apparently, according to the media reports. That blog post, Sorting butterflies from moth, I wrote last month about her efforts and this CTI League, well there was a 2020 piece from Wired, about her spending 9 months traveling across the US to study and collect data on ordinary Americans. She’s quite dedicated to go talk to MAGA moths all over the country for 9 months, to build her personal data base.
There are more women and information happenings that will change the spin information war dramatically too, JK – in the news media, more and more large news organization are being run by women. All this feminist claptrap aside, women don’t stick to moral or institutional codes like men do. Most women operate on emotions and often it’s about petty jealousies, seeking male attention or approval, and these days often ideological fervor about modern feminism and anger at men in general and destroying “the patriarchy.”.
Social media is much the same, with YouTube the lady who was the first marketing manager for Google in 1999, ran YouTube from 2014-2023. Even with Elon Musk being cheered as the champion of free speech by right-wingers, he hired a female ad exec. as CEO of X…
Interesting times ahead…
Btw, JK, that British data queen founded her cognitive security company in 2018. Here’s the link: https://www.cxotalk.com/bio/sara-jayne-terp-founder-bodacea-light-industries
Wonder how much money she’s raked in through US military contracts?
My county borders this one to my east:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/members-of-antigovernment-extremist-group-squatting-off-grid-at-arkansas-camp-arrested/ar-BB1hhr9n
Iraqi currency? Say it ain’t so Joe!
The headline makes it sound like right-wing extremists and then at paragraph 7, we get a name: Saleem Yosiyah IsraEl. And then paragraph 9: ” Thousands of Iraqi currency was said to have been found in envelopes..”
That’s very weird.
But, of course, It’s “Islamophobia” to suspect bad intentions, JK.
At first I just chuckled but then, thought a minute and then came to “Yep. That’s the ticket!”
https://havechanged.blogspot.com/2024/01/blank.html
I sure wish both of them were not the leading candidates for POTUS, JK. And, truthfully, I think Trump was enjoying his life more as Bill Clinton’s golfing buddy, than having to pretend he has anything in common with the political Christian right.
A long ways back on this very thread LB – pre-Russian invasion of Ukraine – I think you’ll find my saying something like ‘ … if this [Biden] administration keeps doing like it is doing there’s gonna be a real war … ” I continue to believe *we have some responsibility for how things’ve worked out since.
Not that it’s adversely affected Arkansas so much … Heck we’ve outright profited by the whole mess:
https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2022/09/09/ukraine-war-arkansas-weapons-00055124
https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2022/sep/18/defense-contractors-clustered-in-camdens-world/
And heck as *one of our “prominent pols has said [some reports described it as “jokingly”] “Zelensky is perfectly willing to fight Putin to the last American dollar” – which, does have some ring of truth, in my opinion.
Upfront admitting I have not and will not be watching Tucker’s interview I nevertheless have the impression ‘some’ have taken as ridiculous that Russia might have some degree of historical legitimacy to a slavic (if you will) Manifest Destiny.
Remember one of ‘our’s’ saying so and thus we had ‘legitimate claims’ to, some might say (not me of course) doing a genocide of the original inhabitants – who’d immigrated over the Bering ic-bridge during the ice ages. Still they were here when *we got here.
However which came first: Peter the Great or the Declaration of Independence?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_the_Great
I realize LB, it’s a Townhall link (which I figure you wouldn’t, ordinarily – even if *they paid you, watch) However I couldn’t find this Hugh Hewitt talking to Andy McCarthy anywhere but on paid sites.
https://townhall.com/podcasts/townhallreview/2024/02/13/assessing-biden's-cognitive-decline-%7C-hugh-hewitt-with-andrew-mccarthy
That was an interesting interview, JK. I’ve watched Trump and Biden closely when they’re speaking lately and Trump isn’t nearly as sharp as he was, even a few years ago. However, Biden’s cognitive functioning has declined rapidly in the past year. The one thing they mentioned in this interview was a hope that Biden will do the right thing and resign, but he would likely only go kicking and screaming, because I think, in his mind, he still believes he’s completely competent. It’s not uncommon for people with dementia to lack self-awareness about their abilities. My late husband would tell doctors and therapists that he could take care of himself, even when he needed 100% assistance with just about everything, from washing, dressing, etc.
Hmmm, appears the title didn’t “take”
The Internationalists: The Fight to Restore American Foreign Policy After Trump. Author : Eric Ward
LB, I haven’t yet read this – and indeed I may decide not to (given the publishing date is 2024 coupled with the completely dishonest act of Foreign Policy magazine’s allowing Jake Sullivan to *adjust/revise* his online version of the Biden Administration’s “successes”)
It’s just that Hugh Hewitt interviewed the author this morning which piqued my interest in looking into it. You however – because you blog – “might” want to read it:
Thanks for this recommendation, JK. I just finished Liza Mundy’s Code Girls on Hoopla and I did buy her Women of the CIA book you mentioned a while back, but haven’t started that. I’m currently reading a book I purchased a few years back: Information Hunters: When Librarians, Soldiers, and Spies Banded Together In WWII Europe, by Kathy Peiss.
I’m sort of trying to understand the genesis of collecting information in WWI and WWII to how we ended up with this vast intelligence apparatus and now this merging of “volunteers,” academia, tech giants, and military contractors working with the US government to label and censor American citizens.
A piece of the tech industry puzzle, certainly seems to be Silicon Valley’s connections to the US military and CIA and government research grants, which started decades ago.
I’m one of those trying to figure out the beginnings of some current issue and a timeline when trying to understand how on earth we ended up here.
“I’m sort of trying to understand the genesis of how we ended up with this vast intelligence apparatus and now this merging of “volunteers,” academia, tech giants, and military contractors working with the US government to label and censor American citizens.”
One piece of the puzzle – of course do check other sources:
https://www.globalresearch.ca/who-behind-trusted-news-initiative/5790640
Thanks for this link, JK. Funny thing about these self-selected gatekeepers fighting “disinformation” is they’re all part of the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion cult and about imposing total control of information… in the “free” world.
Hmmm. LB? I think -well I don’t actually think “think” is the right word about the interview I earlier told you about of Hugh Hewitt interviewing that Alex Ward guy about the book “The Internationalists” was entirely accurate.
What happens on Hugh’s weekly show is he does – usually -15 minute segments with guests (with the stated understanding there’ll be a more fully investigated explication) However, the more fully show happens on Sundays when I’m “most frequently” not somewhere I’m able to listen to the radio.
Yesterday was the exception and now I think I was unfair to both Hugh as well as Mr. Ward. Long story short; I think I will be buying the book.
Run this interview up to the 14 minute mark and proceed from there – at about 15 or so minutes in Hugh says to Ward, “Frankly I’m surprised anyone in the administration was continuing to talk with you!”
(And for good reason.) Actually LB, it might well be your reading this book would, very likely, get you some postworthy material:
https://chartable.com/podcasts/hugh-hewitt-podcast/episodes/162321966-alex-ward-on-his-book-the-internationalists
Too, Hugh – apparently – did a complete book review too but its on FOXnews opinion and my adblocker seems to be extremely disliked by FOX. I’ve not fpund a way to read the book review.
I added this book to my amazon wishlist, JK. I’ve got a large stack of books on my “to read soon” pile already. The interesting thing with this interview, is how Hewitt characterized information directly from the book as highlighting Biden policy disasters, yet the author never really agreed with Hewitt’s characterization. Instead, he kept mouthing the Biden team’s “rationales” for their failures. They thought they could back burner the Israeli/Hamas conflict and with Afghanistan, well, ya know the military assessment was the Taliban wasn’t in position to take control now, but in two years – making excuses for the Biden team.
“[Y]et the author never really agreed with Hewitt’s characterization. Instead, he kept mouthing the Biden team’s “rationales”
Yes. I noticed that too but then I bear in mind the fellow is a Politco author/reporter. I hear it’s hard to get a job in “journalism” these days.
Just left you current.
Hugh Hewitt [speaking] with that {Ben?] Dominich (Spectator – formerly with NRO: I seem to recall. Maybe the Federalist)
Anyway Hewitt said of McConnell “He is the greatest Speaker ever to occupy the position.” Dominich did not disagree.
Just looking to see if I could locate a link I note Hewitt’s long enjoyed “a buddy relationship” with Mitch it would appear.
Well, JK, I wasn’t a huge fan of McConnell, but he was very good at being the Republican leader and understood all the intricacies of moving legislation. The other thing he understood was politics and he gave cover for Republican senators from more liberal states, so they could keep their constituency at home happy.
The MAGA GOP does not seem to grasp that a functional national political party has got to accommodate some moderates too, or the GOP won’t be able to get candidates elected in purple or blue states. They demand 100% loyalty to whatever position Trump is endorsing at the moment. I think Trump is pretty much a version of the president in the movie, Idiocracy, and that’s where America is at now – from “low-information’ voters to no-information voters, just mindless clowns who don’t want to think, don’t know anything and just want to be entertained Social media has created the scroll and click on your social media feeling button society… and react, react, react.
Truthfully LB, I was no fan of the guy either.
However, but for one thing I reckon he’s owed the eternal thanks of a grateful nation.
Merrick Garland is not on the Supreme Court.
….
“that’s where America is at now – from “low-information’ voters to no-information voters, just mindless clowns who don’t want to think, don’t know anything and just want to be entertained Social media has created the scroll and click on your social media feeling button society… and react, react, react.”
Actually that’s applicable to somewhere in the neighborhood of 80% of all voters – Right and Left combined.
We all ought – but don’t – recall when Granpa Joe first got to DC Viet Nam was not yet in our rear view mirror. He was there overseeing – or helping to – offshoring our industrial and manufacturing base to China and elsewhere overseas.
It’s no accident Delaware is the state where a good 90+% of financial services corporations [credit cards and multinational banks &c] are headquartered.
The last major bankruptcy legislation overhaul was dorectly sponsored by Joe Biden – to the advantage of guess who?
*Hint : It wasn’t the taxpayer.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/dec/02/joe-biden-student-loan-debt-2005-act-2020
https://www.propublica.org/article/bidens-cozy-relations-with-bank-industry-825
I didn’t read any of the material you linked regarding the data cables break LB, so I don’t know if it came up.
But it’s just possible – owing to the area in contention is for all intents and purposes a “free fire zone.” And because the threat is missiles (most “reputedly/allegedly” dumb missiles ie “unguided point and shoots) one of the ways a ship has to “dodge” a hit is to <i>throw on the brakes.</i> However, ships being ships and seas being water – braking abruptly isn’t so straightforward as stomping on a pedal.
But, dropping the anchor can work. Only problem with that is, especially as the Red Sea is a shipping channel meaning, it’s fairly regularly dredged meaning there’s really not that much stuff on the bottom for an anchor to latch onto immediate-like.
So the anchor is probably gonna drag along the bottom for quite a spell before grabbing onto something … like maybe an undersea cable? Maybe a bundle of undersea cables?
All I’m saying is, is that this cable “cutting” may not be the result of hostile action.
Thanks for this information and caution, JK.
I found this BBC report, which states: “Hong Kong-based HGC Global Communications said it had taken measures to reroute traffic after four of the 15 cables were recently severed.
The cause is not yet clear.
The US official said it was trying to find out whether the cables were cut deliberately or snagged by an anchor.”
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-68478828
Exactly what you suggested might be the cause.
Read your TicTock post LB and while I thought your points largely valid (and worrisome – IF – what the DC denizens are decrying is their “real goal” : which, given when there’s widespread “bipartisan support : Remember the “Ethics in Government Act” during the Clinton Administration and then after he’s out of office The Clinton Foundation and many others get set up?).
Anyway : An alternate worthy of consideration:
https://areaocho.com/it-has-nothing-to-do-with-tiktok/
Points to ponder I think.
JK, this alternative sounds alarming and presented in clear terms. I do know that X, Rumble and Trump’s Truth Social are all targets to be silenced and Dems are going to forge on with this cognitive security effort, by any means necessary. Also, on the chopping block, I suspect, will be purging YouTube of preppers/homesteaders/channels about guns/ and discussions about medicinal herbs. Media matters took aim this past week: https://www.mediamatters.org/immigration/viral-right-wing-homesteading-influencers-are-demonizing-migrants-and-pushing-nativist
No editorializing from me:
https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/a60277028/arkansas-atf-shooting-airport-executive/
Via this site:
https://www.newsnow.com/us/US/States/Arkansas
To my points on the current of your posts LB, I see in a comment thread from another site this which I think very apt:
“Printing money and decades of gravity-defying economic polices eventually have consequences.”
https://turcopolier.com/the-russians-have-won-and-we-will-all-be-better-for-it-opinion-by-walrus/
Our F-35 for instance, per unit costs in excess of $300M and after just 10 hours of mission flying requires 30+ hours of maintenance. Looking at the balance sheet for our vaunted USS Gerald Ford causes my eyes to glaze over.
I’ve been thinking about that piece you linked for a few days now and I doubt our “expert” class has learned any lessons from our failures yet.
Only some few minutes for me today on the net so, I be brief LB: (And I’ve not been on since I last posted to here.) But, seeing as how both of us seem to be interested in “common sense prepping” I figured you might be interested in watching this space:
https://areaocho.com/prepping-3/
Thanks for that link, JK. He’s offering very practical advice. So many of the online preppers are into the flashy gear and weapons. I figure more people would die from infections, due to lack of antibiotics and lack of sanitary conditions than from some dramatic “civil war” scenario a lot of these people blabber about.
Of course LB, you’re perfectly confident how much I dislike doing such things …
Hmmm, doesn’t appear to be taking …
In the Shadow of Fear: America and the World of 1950
Nick Bunker