Pneumonic Plague Outbreak In Russia?

Seems odd that something like this is not getting more coverage, but there are news reports from a couple days ago indicating that a 28 year old lab worker at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Institute in Siberia has died from pneumonic plague and 189 of her co-workers are now in isolation and under observation, while the institution has been quarantined. The reporting is somewhat mixed as to how she became infected: whether it was from breaking a test tube (which seems the preferred narrative) but also that she was infected on a work trip to Buryatia, where a plague outbreak was reported on the border with Mongolia. Here are some of the news articles:

• "Suspected Plague Death at Russian Lab Sparks ‘Anti-Epidemic’ Lockdown"--Newsweek. 
• "Russia: 189 people under observation after lab worker dies of possible pneumonic plague"--Outbreak News Today.  
• "Pneumonic plague outbreak hits Siberia as lab worker, 28, dies after breaking test tube and 200 people she was in contact with are put in quarantine"--Daily Mail.  

    I've written about the plague before and here are a couple posts which provide some background on the black death of the 14th Century:

• "Book Review--Plague by Wendy Orent"
• "The Black Death"

But here are few key points:

    First, the plague of the 14th Century was much more easily transmitted and far more deadly than the modern strains that you hear about. Accounts from the period describe people becoming infected and dying with hours or days of first showing symptoms. Based on several factors, it is believed that the most virulent strain in the 14th Century was pneumonic plague, which was spread through the air and infected through the upper respiratory system rather than by tick bites as is more commonly taught in school or history books. 

    Second, some scientists--particularly Russian scientists--believe that the 14th Century plague was a different strain unique to the marmot plague reservoir of Central Asia/Western China. 

    Third, Orent discusses in her book that the Russians had worked on weaponizing the plague, trying to recreate the extremely deadly version that arose in the 14th Century.  

Related:

• "40 al-Qaeda terrorists dead after failed experiment with plague weapon"--Homeland Security News Wire (2009). From that article:

    Peter Goodspeed writes in the National Post that the very day Barack Obama was sworn in as president, warning Americans “our nation is at war against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred,” there were reports an al-Qaeda affiliate recently abandoned a training camp in Algeria after forty terrorists died from being exposed to the plague during a biological weapons test. The report, which first surfaced in the British tabloid The Sun, says members of al-Qaeda in the Land of the Maghreb (AQLIM) hurriedly abandoned their cave hideouts in Tizi Ouzou province, 150 kilometres east of the Algerian capital Algiers, after being exposed to plague bacteria.

    The newspaper said they apparently became infected while experimenting with biological weapons. Algerian security forces discovered the body of a dead terrorist alongside a road near the abandoned hideout.

    U.S. intelligence officials, speaking anonymously with Eli Lake of the Washington Times on Tuesday, could only confirm the sudden base closure after an unconventional weapons test went wrong. The officials said they intercepted an urgent communication in early January between the AQLIM leadership and al-Qaeda’s top leaders in the tribal region of Pakistan. The Algerian terrorists said they were abandoning and sealing off a training area after a leak of a chemical or biological substance.

• "That Time an Al-Qaida Training Camp Was Allegedly Wiped Out by Plague"--Military.com. 

Gun & Prepping News #101

Some links that may be of interest: 

• "SAF Wants to Know Why ATF Thinks Rare Breed’s Patent Litigation Is Any Of Its Business"--Shooting News Weekly.  The ATF is trying to insert itself into a patent lawsuit between Rare Breed and competing forced reset trigger products. Presumably this is because the ATF knows that if it can help Rare Breed win its lawsuit, it will keep the prices high and supply low on forced reset triggers.
• "Gun Skills – Pieing a Room"--Shoot On. The author starts out by explaining:

    Knowing what’s going on inside a room is essential prior to entry, as pandemonium can ensue otherwise. Of course, what I’ve just stated is nearly impossible, especially in an unfamiliar environment; however, this doesn’t mean that we must rush straight in. There is a means of slowly revealing what is on the other side while mitigating our own exposure to danger. The process is called slicing the pie or simply pieing. It involves dividing the room of interest into angular sections based on your position to the door.

    Understanding the practice of pieing begins with learning the basic mechanics of a door by observing the hinges. Doors will swing toward this hardware. So, in most cases, it pays to be on the other side when opening them. Now, your starting position might change depending on the layout of the room you’re about to enter (if you know it), but for the sake of simplicity, let’s leave it there for now. 

The remainder of the article has instructions and tips for pieing a room and concludes with a couple drills you can run at an appropriate shooting range or favorite shooting area.

• "Tactical Intelligence: The Thinking Man’s Guide to Civilian Body Armor"--Bone Tactical. As an initial matter, the author notes the two basic reasons for your average citizen to own and use body armor: as part of a home defense plan or strategy; or civil unrest/SHTF. But in the latter case, he recommends something concealable and low-key, lest you become a target. He has other tips and advice, so be sure to read the whole thing. 
• "Faster, Accurate Shooting: Mastering Pistol Trigger Control"--Handguns Magazine.  An excerpt:

The first rule of trigger control is that pressure should be applied evenly to the front of the trigger. It’s vitally important that the trigger press is straight back because any uneven pressure will result in muzzle movement. This straight-back trigger press offers another advantage that few people consider: better recoil control. If I’m consistently pressing the trigger right to left, then the gun is moving in my hand. When the gun settles out of recoil the sights will be out of alignment. When you press straight back and the gun settles, the sight will be closer to centered (provided you have a solid grip and even pressure, but we’ll address this more later). 

And while he doesn't think it matters exactly where what part of the finger rests on the trigger, he comments:

What most certainly does matter is which joint flexes when firing the gun. There are three bones—known as phalanges—that compose each finger. The bones at the tip of the finger are known as distal phalanges, and they are attached to the medial (or middle) phalange. The finger bone closest to the hand is the proximal phalange. When firing, flexion primarily occurs at the joint between the proximal and medial phalange. This is the primary lever that you use when shooting, and this is the joint that you should flex each time you fire. Your knuckle joint should not move while firing. 

• "The AK-47: A History of Practical Design That Still Matters Today"--Ammo Land.  A brief history of the weapon, including its origin, production history, and impact. As the author observes: "The AK prioritizes reliability and ease of manufacturing over precision. It wasn’t designed to be perfect—it was designed to work, and to keep working under harsh conditions."
• On a related note: "Maintaining The AK Series Of Rifles: From The User To The Maintainer"--The Firearm Blog. This article covers the inspection of the rifle (including common wear and failure points), cleaning, and maintenance and replacement of components over time. For instance, the author relates that "AK barrels typically last 10-20k rounds" depending on use, and "it's recommended to replace all the springs at roughly 5-8k rounds."
• "Basic Defense Handgun: Taurus Model 82"--The Tactical Wire. Some people don't have the money to buy a Gucci priced revolver or defensive pistol, and don't have the time, money, and/or interest to put into a lot of training or practice. But they still need something basic for self-defense. That appears to be the niche for this weapon. The author relates:

    Like many, I’ve seen and read about Caleb Giddings’ extensive use of the most basic Taurus revolver. Described as a “security guard’s gun,” apparently a number of agencies, private and public, in South America make extensive use of the Model 82. 

    A fixed sight, four-inch 38 Special revolver, rated for +P ammunition, it’s analogous to the guns worn by US police and security since before WWII. 

    When last I took note of Caleb’s trek with the plain old 38, his gun had consumed around 13,000 rounds of ammunition. He shot it at matches where “modern” semi-autos and pistol-mounted optics covered the ground. He shot it at distance, with an enviable group, and shot it quickly in match prep and competition.

    And he’s carried it concealed more than just a little. 

    That’s confidence.  

He goes on to describe the pistol as well as the results of testing some ammunition through it. The firearm does appear to be regulated for 158-grain projectiles. Looking up the prices, it appears that the MSRP is about $540, but Sportsman's Warehouse was listing it for roughly $420. 

• CCI has released some new .22 LR options:
• "The Rimfire Report: What's Different About CCI's Golden Boy Ammo?"--The Firearm Blog.  This round uses a 36-grain projectile and is supposed to be optimized for feeding a lever action.
• "CCI’s New Hunter Series .22 LR Is Hitting Shelves"--The Truth About Guns. This comes in a standard super-sonic loading and a sub-sonic loading, both using a 40-grain lead flat-nose Small Game Bullet (SGB). The author points out: "A flat-nose solid lead projectile tends to retain its mass through soft tissue and bone rather than fragmenting the way a hollow point will — which is exactly the trade-off squirrel and rabbit hunters care about. You want the round to kill clean, but you don’t want to pick lead out of the meat or lose half the quarter to pulp." 
• "Manticore Arms Ripley Rail: The 1980’s Aliens Upgrade Your AR Needs"--Recoil Magazine. A product that allows you to mock up the M41A rifle used by the Colonial Marines in the movie Aliens using a short barrelled AR as the base weapon (sorry, no display showing the number of rounds remaining, though). 
• "Yes, Airsoft Guns Can Be a Useful Part Effective Firearm Training"--Shooting News Weekly. The author points out:

    Training is where you go and what you do to learn how and what to practice. Practice is what you do on your own to develop and maintain skill. In addition to learning how to press the trigger without disturbing the sights, there are many other things we learn in training; holster drills, moving and shooting, multiple target drills, etc.  

    For those whose only option is the local indoor range with severely restrictive rules, much of what you learned during training, things you want to practice, might be forbidden. This is when setting up your own airsoft practice range in a basement, garage, or backyard might be a legitimate idea.

    Also, some of us live on the opposite spectrum of the indoors-only range. I have lived in rural areas where the only ranges were outdoors and during the winter, blowing and drifting snow prevented access. When I lived in the northern part of the United States, I spent many January and February afternoons in my basement airsoft range getting in some valuable practice.  

• "Craig Boddington: How to Pick the Perfect Hunting Scope"--Rifleshooter Magazine. The author notes:

The vital zone of deer-sized animals isn’t small. Modern rifles that lack this level of accuracy are rare. So, you need the skill to hit that vital zone. Within 100 yards, with average vision and in decent light, this should be possible with open sights. Beyond that distance, and in the critical periods just before sunrise and after sunset, it’s your scope that enables you to properly see your animal, resolve your point of aim, and make the shot. 

The last sentence is probably the most critical one, so a scope with better glass but a lower power will be better than something with higher power that has poor quality glass. You also don't need too much power. The author reports good performance from his Leupold VX3 3.5-10x40mm. But, he adds, "a good quality 3-9X (or thereabouts) will do everything most of us need done. And that is about the maximum power you can have without parallax adjustment (which adds cost)." He likes the 32mm tubes over the 1-inch, but recommends against the 36mm which he believes are too big and heavy for hunting. 

• "The Budget Hunting Knives We Actually Use and Recommend"--Outdoor Life. Several knives ranging from $13 to $68. 
• "Undertsanding Elk Vocabulary is an Important Hunting Skill to Master"--Petersen's Hunting. Some of the calls discussed as those of the estrus cow, the calf call, and a couple bugle calls that the bulls will make.
• "Walker Razor Walkie Talkie Review: Real-World Range & Frequency List"--Modern Survival Blog. The ranges advertised for most walkie talkie radios are for ideal (and, frankly, unrealistic) conditions. The real-world ranges are generally much, much less. For instance, the Walker radios tested in this article had an advertised range of 2 to 3 miles, but the author's test put the good communication range as 300 feet, and essentially no communication beyond 1,300 feet. On the other hand, he purchased these specific radios because they integrated with the Razor electronic ear muffs and the real world ranges were sufficient for what he needed. 
• "Microprepping for People with Small Homes"--Urban Survival Site. The article begins:

    When most people picture an emergency stockpile, they imagine a basement lined with shelves, a spare bedroom packed floor to ceiling, or a garage full of five-gallon buckets. And if you've got that kind of room, great. But a lot of us don't. If you live in a small house or apartment, you might have nothing more than a single closet to work with.

    Here's the good news: it absolutely is. This is where microprepping comes in. Microprepping is all about squeezing a bunch of survival supplies into a tiny space by being organized, intentional, and clever about what you choose to store. Emergency supplies can take up a ton of room if you're careless, but if you plan well, you'd be surprised how much you can fit in one closet.

    In fact, you can put together a full 60 days of supplies for two adults in a single linen closet. We're talking food, water, health items, self defense, all of it. It just takes a bit of thought about what earns a spot on the shelf.

The article goes over 9 steps to putting together a "microprepping" stockpile, plus links to an video demonstrating how to transform that bathroom linen closet into your storage for preps. 

RPG Saturday: What Do You Do In Traveller?

The video below goes over some of the basic missions or types of adventures to run in Traveller. From the video description: "This beginner-friendly guide breaks Traveller adventures into eight recognizable mission types: deliver, explore, investigate, rescue, protect, acquire, hunt, and survive." But even though the video is specifically discussing Traveller, which is a science fiction TTRPG, most of the types of missions/adventures are applicable to other types of genres and settings. 

For instance, the "survive" mission could in almost game setting involve surviving a ship wreck; in modern settings, a plane crash; or getting lost and trapped in snow storm. Throw in a complication--such as a mystery--and you could have something like Death on the Orient Express; or the characters might be trapped in a snow storm with a psycho killer, a wendigo, or alien beast picking them off one by one.  

 VIDEO: "What Do You Actually Do in Traveller RPG?"
CyborgPrime Games (14 min.)

Deathworks and Narnia

Gavin Ortland asks whether "Narnia Among the Deathworks." Ortland explains:

It was Carl Trueman who introduced me to the idea of a deathwork, though the concept is Philip Rieff’s. According to Rieff, a deathwork is an assault on something that is hallowed to an established culture. It isn’t a critique or argument that the culture is untrue, but a means of profaning something that is sacred in order to make it seem ridiculous or repulsive. Trueman summarizes it as “the act of using the sacred symbols of a previous era in order to subvert, and then destroy, their original significance and purpose.”  

He uses a couple of examples to illustrate the concept:  Andres Serrano’s repulsive 1987 photograph "Piss Christ", which immersed a crucifix into urine in order to recast "[t]he sacramental ... into the excremental." Another are "priests who wear the LGBTQ rainbow when carrying out their liturgical duties," which profane the symbol of the rainbow--a symbol of God's faithfulness and promise. That is, "The priests and ministers who perform them are simply helping the church become just like our world: a place where the sacred symbols that give church life meaning are degraded and parodied until nothing but chaos remains, and the things intended to remind Christians of God’s faithfulness become objects of ridicule."

    Deathworks go beyond just the sacred. I've noted over the years the penchant of Hollywood to take a beloved story, television series, or movie and remake it but in a way that mocks the original, often turning into something ridiculous or contemptible, for no other reason than to destroy its popularity. The earliest example I remember of this was how The Brady Bunch television show was made into a movie that mocked and derided the television show. The Star Wars sequel trilogy is also a great example. That series of movies was designed to reduce, minimize, and kill off the Han Solo and Luke characters from the original trilogy--i.e., the strong male characters. It is telling how reviled is the sequel trilogy that all the advertising that you see about Star Wars still uses imagery from the original trilogy. But it also did its job in that there seems to be little interest in Star Wars among the youngest generation. 

    But is is not just those examples. Earlier this year, I watched the latest He-Man movie which similarly did the same to the old He-Man animated television series, taking what was supposed to be an inspirational cartoon for young boys which taught morals in each episode, and turned into a long series of crass joke and demeaning scenes for the main character. The latest (perhaps last) Indian Jones movie, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, was similarly designed to diminish the titular character so he could be replaced by a strong female "Mary Sue" type of character. Ditto for the most recent James Bond move, No Time To Die. And I don't think I need bring up the Amazon television series, The Rings Of Power. 

    The Critical Drinker often describes such movies as not treating the source material with respect, but I think the characterization of "Deathworks" is appropriate because the remakes are often so terrible that it kills audience interest in the original material. And that is the goal. Christians and young white men are no longer allowed to have heroes and role models. 

    And this brings us back to the upcoming Narnia project. Ortland points out the upcoming move, The Magician's Nephew, offers us a gender-bent version of the lion, Aslan, voiced by a woman (Meryl Streep) and intended to look like David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust down to multicolored eyes and a red stripe down the face. This is a problem because, as anyone that has read the Narnia books knows, Aslan is supposed to be a Christ type figure.

    Not surprisingly, Narnia lovers and purists were dismayed by this gender-bending of Aslan, and with Gerwig’s tampering with a beloved character and story. Samuel James argues that it is essential to the character of Aslan that his voice evokes a father; Pierce Taylor Hibbs explains that Aslan must be male because Aslan’s maleness is essential to the story Lewis wrote; Anne Kennedy says Gerwig “is taking a thing of sublime beauty that opens a door of the soul for Christ to step through to heal and restore what is broken and wrong” and says Gerwig herself is the one desecrating it. 

 [snip]

    So how might a glam, rainbow, gender-bent Aslan be like Jesus? The simple answer is that he can’t be. Gerwig has reframed Aslan so that one of several things must be true: either she no longer means for him to parallel Jesus, she reinvented Jesus and then created her version of Aslan to match him, or she failed to think in Lewis’s theological categories. Whichever it is, this Aslan is not and cannot be the Aslan of the books. Perhaps Gerwig means to convey that there is nothing essential to Aslan (and therefore to Jesus) that depends upon his being male. Yet as the critics have made clear, that’s not the case, and Aslan is and must be male, for his voice must evoke fatherhood. I might go a step further to suggest that this Aslan is aligned with today’s cultural ethos, and therefore opposed to the Bible’s ethos, in appearing to be both male and female or, if you prefer, neither male nor female. He may be a Bowie-like character, but he is not a Christ-like one. 

Again, however, that is the point. For some, they will be drawn into the idea of a gender bent Christ like figure. Others will be disgusted and turn away. But if the movie performs badly enough--like some of the examples I've cited before--it will not only cripple interest in the source material, but virtually guarantee that no one else will try producing a Narnia movie or television series in the foreseeable future. 

Weekend Reading #75

 Some longer or more involved reading:

•  Jon Low has a new Defensive Pistolcraft newsletter. First up, Jon has included a link to where you can download a PDF of Jeff Cooper's "Principles of Personal Defense."
• Some words of advice:

     When issued a radio, or someone gives you a radio, or you pick up your radio out of its charger, IMMEDIATELY do a radio check.  Finding out that your radio does not work in the middle of a crisis is no fun.  

     If you check it, it will always work.  If you don't check it, it won't work when you need it.  That's how life works.  Murphy is nasty.  

     Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong, at the worst possible time; not when it's convenient for you, not when it's easy to fix.  

•  Greg Ellifritz also has a new Weekend Knowledge Dump with links to articles on better using a red dot, the biomechanics of an incapacitating shot, some thoughts on being the gray man (as well as a great story of an encounter with a couple of criminals), a link to this month's Range Master news letter, and more.
• "Your Car Is Sharing More Private Data Than Your Smartphone. Who’s Getting It?"--The Drive. You might want to think twice before plugging your phone into your car. An excerpt:

Even if you only use the official apps pre-installed in your car, some of these may connect to your phone and ultimately open your browser. Once it does, the whole flow of data changes because it follows your phone’s browser settings, not your car’s. This means your car is now receiving cookies and browsing data and sharing them in ways you weren’t aware of or expected.

• "Why The Cheering For The Woman Who Killed Her Children Was Aimed At You"--Wilder, Wealthy & Wise. Some thoughts about Lindsay Clancy, her supporters, and modern feminists. An excerpt:

    This then, is the ultimate sacrifice to Moloch.  Innocent children painfully murdered.  It goes hand in hand with the other sacrament of the GloboLeft and GloboLeftElite:  abortion.

    This is why feminists celebrate Clancy.  They demand in every respect full autonomy for women.  What autonomy?  All of it.  Want to kill a child that irritates you after you’ve shopped doctors to put your mind on numerous drugs?

    Why, that’s perfectly allowed.

    Want to have sex with two, three, heck, seven guys in public on the floor?  Why not!  If she regrets it later, she can just call it rape.  And if she and the guy, or guys, are both equally drunk?

    It’s still rape by the guy.

    And if she is a teacher and rapes a minor, gets pregnant and opts not to sacrifice her child to Moloch?  Yeah, the kid will have to pay his rapist for his rape-baby.  Oh, and she’ll probably get probation, because rape is only icky if a guy does it. 

•  "When The Music Stops, Matt Bracken"--The Grey Enigma. From the article:

    In response to recent articles in mainstream military journals discussing the use of the U.S. Army to quell insurrections on American soil, I offer an alternate vision of the future. Instead of a small town in the South as the flash point, picture instead a score of U.S. cities in the thrall of riots greater than those experienced in Los Angeles in 1965 (Watts), multiple cities in 1968 (MLK assassination), and Los Angeles again in 1992 (Rodney King). New Yorkers can imagine the 1977 blackout looting or the 1991 Crown Heights disturbance. In fact, the proximate spark of the next round of major riots in America could be any from a long list cribbed from our history.

    We have seen them all before, and we shall see them all again as history rhymes along regardless of the century or the generation of humankind nominally in control of events. But the next time we are visited by widespread, large-scale urban riots, a dangerous new escalation may be triggered by a new vulnerability: It’s estimated that the average American home has less than two weeks of food on hand. In poor minority areas, it may be much less. What if a cascading economic crisis, even a temporary one, leads to millions of EBT (electronic benefit transfer) cards flashing nothing but zeroes? Or if the government’s refusal to reimburse them causes supermarket chains to stop accepting them for payment? The government can order the supermarkets to honor the cards, but history’s verdict is clear: If suppliers are paid only with worthless scrip or blinking digits, the food will stop. 

The Riots In France: When You've Lost Rod Dreher...

There is an image going around the internet that shows a firefighter set on fire by the third world savages rioting in France:

    Rod Dreher comments: "There will be war. My son is a firefighter. If that were happening to him, and the crowd sat around and watched, I would be their  mortal enemy." There is already war. Islam views the world as falling into two general areas:  Dar al-Islam (Abode of Islam), which are territories where Islamic law and sovereignty prevail and Muslims have the freedom to practice their religion; and Dar al-Harb (Abode of War) which are the territories under non-Muslim rule where Islamic law does not govern. There is also evidence that agitators associated with the far-left La France Insoumise (LFI) Party are encouraging the violence and destruction. 

    The reason that Dreher's comment stood out to me is because Dreher is a dyed-in-the-wool civic nationalist: that is, that the culture creates the people; so you only have to move someone from one culture into another and they will adapt and assimilate and become part of that new culture; and if they can't, their children certainly will. Or, to borrow a computer analogy, it is the idea that if you load Windows 11 on a TRS-80, it will be just like the latest HP OmniBook also running Windows 11. 

    These riots, and the many similar incidents across the West, demonstrate the failure of civic nationalism. Culture derives from a people, not the other way around. The students that are rioting are the children and grandchildren of immigrants and they still cannot act in a civilized manner. Returning to my computer analogy, you will never be able to run Windows 11 on a TRS-80--the hardware is too different--and you would be a fool for trying. 

Franklin Arms Introduces Multi-Projectile Round For 5.56/.223

From The Firearm Blog: "Franklin Armory Introduces New Multi-projectile Rabbit Rounds Ammo." From the article:

    Franklin Armory, are getting into the ammunition business and its not just a typical 55gr 5.56 round. They’ve launched out the gate with something pretty interesting - Rabbit Rounds. A new multiple-projectile cartridge designed to more effectively harvest smaller game with the ubiquitous AR-15-style modern sporting rifle.

    Franklin Armory’s patent-pending Rabbit Rounds feature four spin-stabilized projectiles, encased in a multi-piece, self-discarding sabot. Rabbit Rounds are available in 5.56x45mm for use with AR-pattern firearms chambered in .223 Remington, .223 Wylde, and 5.56 NATO. The company also plans to bring Rabbit Rounds in additional popular hunting calibers to market soon. ... 

The article appears to be based off a press release, so there is no testing of the ammunition.  Here is a short advertisement video, though, showing it in use:

VIDEO: "Rabbit Rounds™ Make Small Game Hunting Fun Again!"
Franklin Armory (1 min.)

Student Riots In France

The Daily Mail reports that "'Student' riots rock France as masked men torch schools and douse teachers in petrol." The "students" pictured in the article appear to all be Middle-Eastern or African, not French. The article also notes: "The Left-wing mayor of Saint-Denis, Bally Bagayoko told protesters on Tuesday 'violence can be legitimate'." As you can guess from the mayor's name, he also is African. The article adds:

    Speaking in Madrid yesterday, President Emmanuel Macron slammed hard-Left politicians he accused of 'legitimising violence' in the French school protests.

    Mr Macron has since called a crisis meeting in Paris to deal with the spiralling unrest. French media reported that all ministerial trips have been cancelled until the beginning of next week, in light of the heightened security situation.

    Interior minister Laurent Nunez slammed the 'targeting of law enforcement officers, the throwing of projectiles, acts of violence, verbal abuse, attempted arson, and what amounts... to urban violence'.    

The Roadmap To Collapse

Notwithstanding the title, the video goes beyond the ideas from Oswald Spengler, but also draws in ideas advanced by Sir John Glub, Peter Turchin, Joseph Tainter, and Arnold Toynbee. Of course, some, such as Glub, were speaking merely of the collapse of empires while Spengler spoke of civilizations, and Turchin and Tainter's works could be applicable to either. 

The point is that we are in the late fall or winter of Western Civilization and in a period of decline of the United States, nearing a critical juncture per Tainter and Turchin. I suspect that Turchin would actually point to the rise of the DSA as evidence of a revolt in the process or having occurred among the elites, pushed along by the BLM movement and accompanying riots. But I doubt it is the end of the process because it has not resolved the underlying issues of income disparity and the wealth pump, merely shuffled some of the old guard off the stage in favor of a younger generation of elites. In fact, the DSA cannot resolve this issue because the DSA supports policies that benefit the wealth pump. And behind it all is Turchin's theory of collapse based on a concept that complexity will reach a point where it is simply unaffordable. 

I would note that it is possible for a civilization to transform and revitalize, which is something that Carroll Quigley briefly discussed in his book, Tragedy and Hope. This happened to Europe after the discovery of the New World--part of a larger transformation into world trade and expansion. It could happen again, most likely based around space exploration, development, and colonization. Otherwise, I fear that the future will be one similar to the Bronze Age collapse with a multitude of countries experiencing collapse simultaneously or nearly simultaneously. 

 VIDEO: "Every Civilization Dies the Same Stupid Way — Spengler Predicted Ours"
Mindplicit (27 min.)

Traitors Abound

Breitbart reports: "Sen. Jim Justice, Citing Difficulties for Ranchers, Says ‘Maybe’ ICE Is ‘Doing Something Wrong Here or There’ and Needs to ‘Adjust’ Tactics in Rural Areas." Justice is a RINO from West Virginia who is suddenly afraid that ICE is doing too good of a job and its hurting some of his rich donors. From the article:

    Sen. Jim Justice (R-WV), citing “a very difficult balancing act from the standpoint of our ranchers” regarding recent ICE arrests in rural areas, suggested ICE should go about their enforcement actions in those areas differently.

    Justice told Politico that he hopes Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will alter its policy of ranging out into rural areas to arrest illegal migrants.

    “Before you know it, you get people that get carried away in their job and whatever it may be, and all of a sudden, then you’re dragging people away that have lived on your street corner for 15 years, and I don’t know that we need to be doing that stuff,” the senator said.

    He went on to suggest that ICE is “doing something wrong” with its tactics of rural arrests.
Robert VerBruggen
    “To get better, the first thing you got to do is admit you’re doing something wrong,” the senator said. “And in this situation, with all that’s going on and all the stuff, we probably got to step back from it and say, ‘Maybe we’re doing something wrong here or there,’ and then adjust to that.”

    Justice is speaking out in hopes of protecting ranchers and farmers who employ illegal migrants to fill low-wage jobs.

This seems part and parcel with a new tactic I'm hearing more of, which is to complain that Trump only promised to remove the hardened criminals, not the ones simply taking American jobs and facilitating the wealth pump on which the rich donors depend. Yet at the 2024 GOP convention, Trump was promising mass deportations of illegal aliens, not just the selective deportation of violent offenders. People want their country back and the illegals gone. 

And speaking of traitors:

• Robert VerBruggen at City Journal argues in his article, "The Troubles With the H-1B Program", that the problem with the H1B program is that employers are not paying the Indian tech workers enough. 
• US ‌District Judge Haywood Gilliam in Oakland, California, is the second federal judge to block the $100,000 fee for H1B visa applicants.
• The Battleswarm blog observes that the Great Replacement is alive and well, noting: "The International Institute of St. Louis has a prescription for Missouri communities losing residents: bring in more immigrants." Specifically, Muslim immigrants from Afghanistan. And to help, it is offering these migrants rent assistance, gift cards until they can get on food stamps, "bus passes for classes, and help applying for SNAP, Medicaid, and WIC." They will also help with getting these people on other forms of public assistance and helping them learn English so it easier for them to get jobs. They will even help immigrants with getting business grants. 

Not all of the news is bleak, though: "Win: SCOTUS Allows ‘Safe Third Country’ Deportations"--Breitbart. A lot of the countries whose citizens have illegally entered the United States won't accept them back when they are deported. The program which the leftists are trying to block instead sends those illegals to a third country.