Category: Current Events

A Real Big Bang in the Pacific

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Here’s the video of an underwater volcano erupting in the ocean near Tonga.  It’s impressive.

“The eruption spawned a 4-foot tsunami that hit Tonga’s capital of Nuku’alofa, which is about 40 miles (65 kilometers) south of the volcano. A sonic boom from the eruption was heard across the Pacific Ocean, reaching as far away as Alaska, according to the Associated Press.

Nuku’alofa was reportedly covered in a thick film of volcanic dust, according the AP. There have been no official reports of injuries or damage from Tonga’s capital, but its internet access was interrupted by the event, the AP added.

The volcano on Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai first erupted on Dec. 20 and then exploded with a massive eruption on Jan. 13, which was also spotted by GOES West, NOAA officials said in a statement. That eruption was seven times more powerful than the December event and sent a huge plume of ash and gas over 12 miles (20 kilometers) into Earth’s atmosphere.

Saturday’s eruption also sent an ash plume to an altitude of nearly 12 miles, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told the AP. New Zealand officials hope to send military surveillance flights over the volcano on Monday to assess its status, followed by aid and supplies for Tonga, where water supplies may be contaminated, Ardern added.”

 

Update:  Hat tip to Big Mac for a link to a very informative site on the details of that volcano.

 

The Quadratic Franchise

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Many, many years ago I read an essay by the science fiction writer, Robert A. Heinlein about civics.  He was making the case that democracy was the proposition that a million men were smarter than one man or a few men.  And he batted that idea around.  His point was that the average man might not be the right decision maker for society.  And then he thought of how we could rig things to make democracy better.  Now, being an engineer, his first idea was based on the type of tests that would appeal to a technical mind.  He imagined the voting booth being equipped with a visual display of some sort that communicated a problem to the voter to solve before being allowed to vote.  Heinlein favored solving a quadratic equation as the qualifying test.  I can’t remember if it was a multiple-choice question or not but at the time, I saw the sense of it.  Pick some minimally difficult standard of intelligence and make it a condition for voting.

But intelligence is not the only criterion for citizenship.  Moral fitness may be even more important.  You may be smart enough to know something is a bad idea for society but if you think that you’ll personally benefit from it then you might go along with it.  So, another way to rig the franchise is disqualify people who have chosen to live antisocially.  Currently, most states disqualify felons from voting.  That seems a reasonable measure.  But I think there are other larger voting blocks that should be looked at.  Perhaps civil servants should not be allowed to vote.  After all, teachers and prison guards have controlled politics in California and other states like Illinois and New Jersey for decades based on their habit of voting in Democrats to keep their pensions and salaries robust.  Maybe anyone on welfare should be taken off the voters’ roll because they’ll vote for the liberal who will keep their gravy train flowing.

Or maybe we should go the other way around.  Maybe people’s votes should be weighted according to how much taxes they pay.  So, Elon Musk pays on average ten million dollars in taxes a year and I pay fifty thousand so his vote should count for two hundred of mine.  And the guy who pays no taxes has no vote or maybe some minimal fraction of a vote.

But of course, the absurdity of this whole discussion is that none of this matters because as Dementia Joe recently pointed out, it’s not who votes but who counts the votes, that counts.  Even when unheard of numbers of Americans came out to vote in 2020 the people who rig elections in Philadelphia, Detroit, Atlanta, Madison and Phoenix simply ran the photocopy machines ten times as long and manufactured the votes needed to fake the election result they wanted.

We can talk about who the least responsible voters are.  My favorite is women because they vote with their emotions and because they’re gullible and easily flattered into thinking their self-interest is equal to the good of the country.  But even they will recognize grim reality when it comes in the likeness of a BLM mob.  So ultimately trying to fix representative government means absolutely nothing when the ballot box is being stuffed.

I think the attempts to fix this situation and the simultaneous attempt to codify fraud by the Democrats is the biggest struggle going on right now in our country.  I don’t want to overblow the criticality of the result because the bad guys never run out of ways to degrade our country.  Literally they never quit.  But I think the attempt to fix this problem is a fair test of whether there is enough strength left in our system and in our will to turn the country around.  If after what happened in 2020, we don’t solve this problem then we’re not going to have the strength to survive the diseases that afflict our country.  They will overwhelm the system like a parasitic disease that saps its host’s strength and eventually leads to death.

Heinlein thought about civics and ways that we could improve citizenship.  But he also predicted the decay of our society under the influence of progressivism.  I think he would have recognized the symptoms we are currently suffering from but he still might have been sad to see it happen to the country he loved.

War Pig’s Feedback

I prefer the government of “Starship Troopers”. I also like the idea he postulated in “The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress” – that any law passed can be nullified by I believe a 1/3 vote of the People. After all if a law is so poorly written or unnecessary that a full third of your citizens despises it, it is a bad law.

I do NOT trust the form of voting in Sam Clemen’s “The Curious Republic of Gondour”, since we have seen what craziness is professed in western colleges and universities. What was it William F Buckley Jr said;- “I’d rather entrust the government of the United States to the first 400 people listed in the Boston telephone directory than to the faculty of Harvard University.”

 

(Good to hear from you War Pig.  All the best.

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15JAN2022 – OCF Update – Deep Freeze

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Camera Girl announced to me this morning that the outside thermometer registered an impressive 2° Fahrenheit.  I went to the kitchen porch and duly ventilated my lungs with this arctic air.  When the coughing fit subsided, I made a mental note not to do that anymore.

I went through the news today and I didn’t see anything new of value.  I guess I will have to wait until something comes along to bloviate about.

Today is a good day for writing and doing some research on local events that might have value as photographic subjects.  Yesterday I got out and did some photography in a colonial era cemetery here in Dunwich.  Some of the dearly departed were bound to be warlocks and witches and other friends and family of Selectman Cthulhu so I was very conscious of any sounds or vibrations emanating from the ground.  I’ve seen enough movies to know that being dragged down into a graveyard is your own fault.  Sidestepping that sort of thing is trivially easy.  Luckily no such trouble occurred.  The dead were slumbering under a layer of fresh snow and the only noises I heard were Camera Girl grumbling under her breath about wasting her time.  It was a relatively short outing but it awoke my COVID drugged reflexes to seek out interesting images in the wide wonderful world.  However, 2° Fahrenheit is a powerful deterrent to wanderlust.  I’m staying put today and planning future treks.

Having finished the Star Trek episodes is a great milestone and a highly encouraging event.  Without the horrors of Season 3 shadowing my heart my spirit is buoyant and I can look forward to new projects with renewed zest.  I do plan to do some follow up work on the Star Trek project.  Some quantitative analysis of my ratings of the episodes might provide insights.  But that is for the future.  Right now, the attitude is, “Free at last, free at last.”

I’ve been disappointed by the fact that the last few Galaxy’s Edge novels have not been published in paperback.  I guess I’ll be forced to get kindle to read them.  I sent an e-mail to one of the authors to question if this is a permanent situation but he never got back to me.  I also have to catch up on the most recent Monster Hunter book too.  And eventually I have some movies to see also.

January 15th!  Time is whizzing by and they haven’t quite broken us yet.  I’m looking forward to more bright (but warmer) days like this and to getting out and about in the short winter days.  If anything interesting catches my eye I’ll be sure to pass it along but for now enjoy your day and stay warm if you’re living in the arctic waste like me.

14JAN2022 – Random Reactions to the News of the Day

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There is much that is newsworthy today.  But all of it is incremental to old stories.

Reactions to the Supreme Court decision on the OSHA Mandate from both sides.  The far-left reaction is comically panic stricken.  One writer at Salon named (I kid you not) Heather Digby Parton claimed:

“The goal of destroying the government regulatory apparatus that makes America a first-world country is shared by Republicans from Bannon to Utah Sen. Mitt Romney to Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney to Chief Justice John Roberts and every conservative in between. And it’s one of the most radical agendas any political faction has ever advanced. If you want to know why all the Republicans backed Donald Trump even when they knew he was monumentally unfit, this was it. They got their court and their dream is about to come true. Unfortunately, it’s a nightmare for the rest of us.”

So, Mitt Romney and Liz Cheney are wild-eyed bomb throwing radicals.  Good to know.

 

Lindsey Graham, of all people, is warning Mitch McConnell to patch up his differences with Donald Trump to avoid damaging the Republicans’ effectiveness in 2022 and beyond.  He says:

LINDSEY GRAHAM: You don’t have to agree with Trump, what he did in Syria I didn’t like it. I’ve had my differences with President Trump but I appreciate what he did and the media tries to divide us all the time. January 6th was a dark day in American history but it was not Pearl Harbor, it’s not 9/11, and that’s all they have to talk about. So to my Republican colleagues, let’s spend our time growing the party and realize that President Trump is the most consequential Republican in the country since Ronald Reagan and see if we can work together. Whether or not they can repair the relationship is up to them, not me. I hope so.

SANDRA SMITH: Senator, you would not be saying any of this unless you believe Donald Trump was the future of your party.

LINDSEY GRAHAM: You are so smart.

SANDRA SMITH: And that he can actually win.

LINDSEY GRAHAM: You are so smart.

JOHN ROBERTS: We know you well enough.

SANDRA SMITH: Is that it?

LINDSEY GRAHAM: In case you missed the last four minutes, that’s it.

A mealy-mouthed milquetoast like Graham is mocking brainless Fox News reporters?  Has the world gone topsy turvy? To me that signifies that even spineless mollusks like Graham recognize just how badly the Biden administration has overreached and want to make the most of the political thumping the Dems are about to experience.  It seems to me the Stupid Party should be gathering donations from their billionaire patrons to build a larger-than-life statue of Manchin and Sinema and set it up in the Capitol Rotunda.  As to the question of whether Trump and McConnell can bury the hatchet my guess is no.  McConnell is a weasel and making money on his position probably overrules any other consideration.  So doing the right thing isn’t even in his vocabulary.

 

Here’s an article handicapping the Senate outcome in 2022 based on Dementia Joe’s approval rating which is at about 41% currently:

“What does it tell us about 2022? Assuming the parties don’t nominate particularly weak candidates and there are no further retirements, a Republican-controlled Senate starts to come into the picture when Biden’s job approval falls to around 51% and becomes the most likely outcome at around 48%.

At 42%, the model envisions virtually no chance for Democrats to hold the Senate and predicts a loss of four seats as the most likely outcome. At 42%, the Colorado Senate seat could potentially come into play, assuming that Republicans produced a credible candidate (remember that a relatively unheralded candidate held Sen. Michael Bennet to a six-point margin in 2016).”

 

Well, that sounds wonderful.  Crying Chuck Schumer will lose his majority leader job and be forced to hand over his seat to AOC along with his testicles.  What’s not to like?

 

Here’s an article that calculates the real inflation rate as almost double what the administration is saying.

“The probability is that inflation will run closer to 10% than 5% for the first half of 2022, pushing the Fed to tighten more than investors now expect.”

This shows us that nothing can provide good economic news before the November election.  The Dems are toast.

 

All of this is good news.  Well actually, it’s bad news for our enemies which is not quite the same thing but close.  We’ll have to suffer through what’s coming but at least the bad guys will get their lumps.  Even the idiots who legitimately voted for Biden are horrified and disgusted at the mess he’s presided over.  The incompetence, arrogance and malevolence have been impossible to miss.  They are going to lose the House and most probably the Senate.  Good.

But we’ve been in this situation before.  Our side is run by idiots and they will not kick the enemy when they’re down.  They’ll help them to their feet, dust them off and extend the hand of friendship just in time to get stabbed in the belly.

So, for me this is the time to work on building our own things and look for allies.  In my mind Ron DeSantis is the brightest light that has appeared since 2016.  What I’m looking for is a breakthrough.  I’m looking for an initiative that pushes the Left back instead of just trying to stand our ground.  And maybe we’ll see some of that in late 2022.  So, this is a good time to judge who are the real leaders and who is just collecting a paycheck.  Judge them by their results.

Supreme Court Strikes Down OSHA Vax Mandate

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This is fantastic news.  Unless that old psychopath wants to fly in the face of the judiciary branch of government this should be the end of his attempt to deprive people of their livelihood.

Unfortunately, they upheld the the mandate for federally funded healthcare agencies with a 5-4 vote.  But half a loaf. I have to assume this will hasten the end of a lot of this COVID fascism.  Companies that don’t want to torture their employees anymore will be able to differentiate themselves in the marketplace and that may make them more competitive.

Well anyway, baby steps here.  One small step for the Right.  One giant step for America.

Springing Ahead, So to Speak

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Being out and about yesterday was most enjoyable.  The combination of sunlight and activity was a tonic.  And all the positive comments for the classic car photos in the last couple of days made me want to forage outside in the real world again.  Being couped up at the Compound is too confining.  I’ve got to look around and see what day trips I can find to provide photographic subjects.  I’ll start small with some forays around Dunwich and then branch out around New England.  Who knows, maybe I’ll hazard a trip into Boston or New York city to photograph the wreckage of 21st century urban America.  But it’s apparent that it’s time to call an end to the pandemic.  It’s just too stupid to maintain any longer, even for people as stupid as the politicians.

And there are many signs of this in the articles both the Left and the Right have been posting in the last week or so.  Even the hopeless Karens are yearning to be free.  All that is needed to throw this over the top is the Supreme Court to veto the vaccine mandates and set us free at last.

Will they do it?  My guess is yes.  I think enough information on the stupidity of the vaccine strategy exists to give the justices a compelling reason to recognize the unconstitutional nature of the mandates.  Sure, we know the Supreme court will ignore constitutionality when national security is at stake or seems to be at stake.  They proved that with the Patriot Act.  And at least the Patriot Act had a bipartisan majority and the legislature and president behind it.  This is an overreach of an executive order that orders people to take a medicine in order not to lose their jobs.  It’s an outrage.  Of course, I guess I’ll have to figure out what to think if the Supreme Court fails us.

I read that the White House is building bunker walls and concrete barriers around the building.  Sounds like they might be thinking of doing something very bad to us sometime soon.   Or maybe the latest favorability polls have scared Dementia Joe.  The Quinnipiac poll has him at a net -19% (meaning 35% unfavorable to 54% unfavorable).  That’s getting down into Nicolae Ceaușescu territory.  Maybe he should be building that bunker.

I read that the Senate is going to push forward with the election fraud initiative but Manchin and Sinema aren’t on board.  If that fails, they’ll try to convince them to eliminate the filibuster.  If that fails, they’ll try to convince them to eliminate the filibuster for just this one election law.  But it seems like they’re up against a stone wall.  Now wouldn’t that be marvelous!

I’m sure there are Republicans just champing at the bit to screw all this good fortune up.  Mitt Romney comes to mind for some unknown reason.  But right now, we seem to be dodging bullets left and right.  Damn it!  I’m gonna be optimistic today.  It just feels right.  And nothing breeds bad luck like bad luck and the Dems just keep stepping on those garden rakes.  Have a nice day and get some sun.

Update:  The Supreme Court did the right thing on the OSHA Vax Mandate.  They just struck it down.  So there’s some good news for us.

12JAN2022 – OCF Update – The Big Wide Wonderful World

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I must go out there today.  I will be crossing state lines and breaking barriers.  I will be conversing, consulting and otherwise hobnobbing with my fellow wizards.  And until such time (if ever) that I return I want you all to feel free to comment on my past utterances in the comments sections and spread the good word about OCF to the far-flung limits of the Matrix.(or at least check back later to see what I’ve written).

Hollywood Blacklists White Men

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Hollywood has codified affirmative action employment rules and is enforcing them.  So if the calculus of their rules requires that the director has to be a black transgender paraplegic then the results of the production should be fascinating.  And the results are already appearing.  Emboldened by the whip hand they’ve been given BIPOC cast and crew members now routinely lodge complaints against white male showrunners and directors knowing that the studio will put pressure on the man to kowtow to the empowered minorities or be fired.

The result of all this is obvious.  It will be all girl Ghostbusters all the time.  Expect humorless screeds from now on.  Every production from romantic comedy to action adventure will be so drowned in racial resentment and feminist screeching that the idea of being entertained will completely disappear from the experience.

I think it’s great,  I can think of no quicker way of impoverishing the industry than to let them put into practice their stupid beliefs about running society.  It’s all too reminiscent of Soviet cinema with its social justice messaging and secret police surveillance.  My only wish is that they dispense with white men all together.  Everyone from the owner of the studios to the assistant wig master should be some combination of non-white, non-male and non-normal.  I think of the great job they’ve done at reducing revenues and driving away their customers.  Eventually the Chinese will start producing movies for the American audiences and I’m sure they’ll be much, much better than the dreck Hollywood has put out in the last decade or so.

Mike Simonelli Appears on Fox News to Condemn Manhattan DA

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If you remember last month I linked to my friend Mike Simonelli’s book, Justified Deadly Force.

Last week he was invited onto Fox News to comment on the new Manhattan DA’s policy of refusing to prosecute anything short of murder.  My favorite bit is his answer to the DA’s question on how do we define a criminal.

The ZMan Has a Very good Post on the Hive We Now Live In

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It’s actually two posts.  One on his site and one over at Taki’s.  They both describe the situation we find ourselves in where the bureaucrats now own us.  They tell us what to do and what to think.  These two articles are bang on the nose.  What they can’t say is how we escape from our fate.  Well, except to rise up against it, which no one can say out loud.  Highly recommended.