tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21950779912294819582024-03-19T03:22:14.561-06:00Practical EschatologyExploring practical methods for preparing for the end times, including analysis of end time scripture and prophecy, current events, prepping and self-defense.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger6202125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2195077991229481958.post-37374297777239892522024-03-18T13:00:00.001-06:002024-03-18T13:00:00.137-06:00Review and 1,000 Round Test of the Beretta 80x<p>The Firearm Blog has published their "TFB Review: 1,000 Rounds On The Beretta 80x" (<a href="https://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2024/03/11/tfb-review-1000-rounds-beretta-80x/" target="_blank">Part 1</a>) (<a href="https://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2024/03/14/tfb-review-1000-rounds-beretta-80x-part-ii/" target="_blank">Part 2</a>).</p><p><span> The Beretta 80x, as you might remember, is a modernized version of the Beretta 84 with the most significant differences being improved sights, that it has a slide cut to accept a pistol red dot, and it has an accessory rail to mount a laser and/or flashlight. There are some other modifications to the handgun, but it still shoots .380, it is still a DA/SA action, and it still retains a frame mounted safety/decocker (the decocker feature was added beginning with the F models with some improvements in the FS model). Although my understanding was that there were some modifications to the magazine, the magazine is still 13-rounds and the 80x can use the magazines for the older Beretta 84 handguns.</span><br /></p><p><span><span> Part 1 goes over the history of the new design, using the safety/decocker, and mounting the red dot, before addressing why someone might want a larger .380 pistol. (As I've noted before, although the 80 series pistols are smaller than duty sized 9mm handguns, the 80 series were duty sized .380 pistols intended to be carried by uniformed police and guards). And, the author contends, it comes down to felt recoil: unlike the small .380s which can be "snappy" the larger pistols like the 80x have both the weight and the larger grip that absorb and distribute recoil making them easier to use for the recoil shy. I would also add that the extra barrel length also allows you better performance from the cartridge than you get with the pocket sized .380 pistols. I hadn't shot much .380 before getting my Beretta 84bb, and I have to say that I've really come to like the .380 the more I have shot it. </span><br /></span></p><p><span><span><span> Part 2 is the actual 1,000 round test as well as some comments on some of the different types/brands of ammo used in the test, what the author believes is the target demographic (women) and thoughts on concealed carry with this weapon. </span></span></span></p><p><span><span><span><span> </span>First, just to get it out of the way, other than a single failure to lock back that the author associated with using an older 84bb magazine, and a couple user induced hang-ups, the weapon performed flawlessly. </span><br /></span></span></p><p><span><span><span><span> The ballistic information on the ammunition showed that the </span></span></span></span>Remington Ultimate Defense (Full Size) Golden Sabre using a 102 grain bullet was particularly close to performance to some standard 9mm loads. </p><p><span> As for carrying it concealed, the author writes:</span><br /></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span><i>Beretta was kind enough to provide an ANR Design IWB holster to use in the review. I carry every day and much of my time at my day job I dress in business casual. The 80x is very easy to carry. It’s not very heavy, and it doesn’t have any sharp edges or pointy bits that are annoying. It’s always disappointing when a new carry gun has an obtrusive feature that only makes itself known after three or four hours of a 14-hour day. Thankfully that did not happen with the 80x. </i></span></p></blockquote>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2195077991229481958.post-47969282256358716152024-03-18T12:00:00.003-06:002024-03-18T12:00:14.542-06:00Citizens As First Line Of Defense Against Terrorists Crossing Border<p> Lee Williams, writing at The Truth About Guns, argues: "<a href="https://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/be-afraid-but-more-importantly-be-armed-citizens-will-be-best-first-line-defense-against-terrorists-coming-across-border/" target="_blank">Be Afraid, But More Importantly Be Armed: Citizens Will Be Best First-Line Defense Against Terrorists Coming Across Border</a>." Williams begins:</p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p><i><span> </span>FBI Director Christopher Wray must be frustrated. He issued one of the strongest terrorism warnings earlier this week, but few seemed to notice and even fewer seemed to care. ...</i></p><p><i><span> </span>Wray’s warning, however, was dire. He told the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence that known or suspected terrorists were infiltrating the country across the wide-open southern border using counterfeit documents. One of the smuggling networks, he said, has ties to ISIS. Add to this the thousands of unknown border crossers from countries that hate us, and the more than 80,000 military-age males from China, and you have a terrorist hellbroth just waiting to bubble over.</i></p></blockquote><p>No one probably took much note of it because Wray, as usual, still indicated that "domestic terrorists"--e.g., parents showing up at school board meetings and Catholics that preferred the Latin Mass--were the number one threat.</p><p><span> In any event, Williams points out:</span><br /></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span><i>In the 29 states that now offer some form of constitutional carry, when a terrorist rears their ugly head – be they a card-carrying ISIS member or a lone-wolf jihadist – Americans can take immediate action without waiting for First Responders to arrive, assess the situation, plan and then respond.</i></span></p></blockquote><p>And, he observes:</p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><i>One of the most important lessons learned after last year’s Hamas attacks is that terrorists are capable of much better planning than most thought possible, especially when paired with a state sponsor such as Iran. There is no reason not to believe a terrorist group would be even more prepared for an attack on American soil. Their target analysis will likely include the possibility of armed opposition. In other words, the terrorists are more likely to focus on a target where concealed carry is heavily regulated if not impossible, and civilians have no option other than to run, hide or fight.</i></p></blockquote><p>Nevertheless, he urges that we take Wray's warning serious and become better prepared: training, practice, getting new defensive ammo, replacing batteries, getting extra magazines, and so on.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2195077991229481958.post-88639620154761548442024-03-18T12:00:00.001-06:002024-03-18T12:00:00.131-06:00Biden Secretly Settling Tens Of Thousands Haitians Around Country<p>The Washington Examiner reports that "<a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/washington-secrets/2915847/thousands-of-haitians-dumped-in-us-but-dhs-wont-say-where/" target="_blank">Thousands of Haitians dumped in US, but DHS won’t say where.</a>" From the lede:</p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p><i><span> </span>The Department of Homeland Security has guided over 130,000 illegal immigrants from gang-ravaged Haiti into dozens of unidentified American cities, but it won’t say where.</i></p><p><i><span> </span>Many of the 133,000 arrived in just one city that the Biden administration won’t identify, according to a federal report reviewed by the Center for Immigration Studies.</i></p><p><i><span> </span>The Washington-based CIS, which backs ending illegal immigration, said that many immigrants flew themselves to the unidentified cities, while others arrived through land ports only to be released to wherever they wanted to go.</i></p><p><i><span> </span>The report followed on another from a week ago that revealed how the administration let 320,000 “inadmissible” illegal immigrants into up to 43 unidentified cities. Some in Congress are now demanding to know where the immigrants ended up.</i></p></blockquote><p>Maybe states should ship them to Washington D.C. and its environs. </p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2195077991229481958.post-26526324927037716362024-03-18T11:30:00.001-06:002024-03-18T11:30:00.131-06:00Hezbollah Terrorist Caught Crossing Southern Border <p> Let's go Brandon! From the New York Post: "<a href="https://nypost.com/2024/03/17/us-news/illegal-migrant-from-lebanon-admitted-terror-ties/" target="_blank">Illegal migrant from Lebanon caught at border admitted he’s a Hezbollah terrorist hoping ‘to make a bomb’ — and was headed for NY</a>." An excerpt:</p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p><i><span> </span>A Lebanese migrant who was caught sneaking over the border admitted he’s a member of Hezbollah, he hoped to make a bomb, and his destination was New York, The Post can reveal.</i></p><p><i><span> </span>Basel Bassel Ebbadi, 22, was caught by the US Border Patrol on March 9 near El Paso, Texas. While in custody, he was asked what he was doing in the US, to which he replied, “I’m going to try to make a bomb,” according to a Border Patrol document exclusively obtained by The Post.</i></p><p><i><span> </span>But Ebbadi later claimed in an interview that he had been trying to flee Lebanon and Hezbollah because he “didn’t want to kill people” and said “once you’re in, you can never get out,” according to internal US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) documents.</i></p></blockquote><p>Also:</p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p><i><span> </span>Border agents recorded 98 encounters with terror watchlisted individuals at both the northern and southern borders in fiscal year 2022, and almost twice as many, 172, in fiscal year 2023, which ends Sept. 30.</i></p><p><i><span> </span>So far, in the first four months of 2024, 59 people have been apprehended, according to federal data. </i></p></blockquote>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2195077991229481958.post-46184265108160610762024-03-18T11:00:00.001-06:002024-03-18T11:00:00.129-06:00UNICEF Boss Warns Of Total Chaos In Haiti<p>From the Daily Mail: "<a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13209801/unicef-boss-chaos-haiti-mad-max-gangs-aid-hunger-malnutrition.html" target="_blank">UNICEF boss warns of absolute chaos in Haiti with residents suffering 'serious hunger and malnutrition' while gangs block roads and stop aid: 'Like a scene from Mad Max'</a>." </p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p><i><span> </span>The UN children's agency chief said the situation in Haiti is the 'worst in decades' as millions face famine amid a rise in gang violence and looting.</i></p><p><i><span> </span>Seven bodies were reportedly found in Petion Ville in the Ouest Department of Haiti on Monday after an overnight shooting.</i></p><p><i><span> </span>UNICEF said one of its containers holding 'essential items for maternal, neonatal, and child survival, including resuscitators and related equipment' was looted in the capital of Port-au-Prince's main port on Saturday.</i></p><p><i><span> </span>Looting and overall violence has further cut some of the country's most vulnerable from basic supplies, coming 'at a critical moment when children need them the most,' the agency said.</i></p><p><i><span> </span>That same day, the Guatemala's Foreign Ministry said the offices of its honorary consul in Haiti was ransacked, but didn't give any details of damage or thefts, nor did it say who was responsible.</i></p><p><i><span> </span>'It's like a scene out of Mad Max. Honestly, that's what it seems like. </i></p><p><i><span> </span>'Gangs, vigilantes responding to the gangs,' UNICEF executive director Catherine Russell told CBS News.</i></p></blockquote><p>Also:</p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p><i><span> </span>'Haiti is facing a protractive and mass hunger,' Jean-Martin Bauer, Haiti director for the United Nations' World Food Program, told The Associated Press.</i></p><p><i><span> </span>'We have supplies for weeks. I’m saying weeks, not months, that has me terrified.' </i></p></blockquote><p>And something that should worry Democrats and Neocons alike, a Haitian immigrant that just returned from Haiti after visiting family there had this to say:</p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p><i><span> </span>Passenger Avlot Quessa, who lives in Boston, traveled from the center of the country to board the charter flight after going to Haiti last month for was supposed to be a weeklong trip to visit his mother.</i></p><p><i><span> </span>'It's just terrible. The suffering, you can only imagine,' Quessa told The Miami Herald of the nearby Caribbean nation.</i></p><p><i><span> </span>'Haiti is my homeland and it's very stressful to see the homeland going through this act of violence, destruction ... and they are our neighbors.</i></p><p><i><span> </span>'I ended up staying 20-plus days' he said noting that it was 'good to be back.'</i></p><p><i><span> </span>However, Quessa said he also felt bad for the people he left behind: 'I also need to think about the people back home.</i></p><p><i><span> </span>'They are only miles away from Miami. We cannot turn our eyes back on Haiti.</i></p><p><i><span> </span>'Look at how much we invest in Ukraine and Israel. So no one is going to tell me that color doesn't matter.' </i></p></blockquote><p>We can turn our backs on Haiti. We are not the world's piggybank, although that is how we are treated. </p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2195077991229481958.post-83785584701123116882024-03-18T10:30:00.002-06:002024-03-18T10:30:00.128-06:00Diversity Is A Strength: Burglary Tourism<p>From the Daily Mail: <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13208057/cunning-burglary-tourists-rob-wealthy-los-angeles-homes.html" target="_blank">"LA battles spate of 'burglary tourists' as marauding gangs from Chile, Ecuador Colombia and Peru jet in on 90-day visas and ransack millionaire mansions before fleeing back to South America</a>." The article relates:</p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p><i><span> </span>Cunning criminals from Chile, Ecuador, Colombia, and Peru target wealthy neighborhoods in places with relaxed criminal justice laws to conduct home burglaries - before returning home with the loot while out on bail.</i></p><p><i><span> </span>The troubling trend of 'lanzas internacionales' - translated to 'international thieves' - dates back at least two years across America, while the problem has also reared its ugly head in the United Kingdom. </i></p></blockquote><p>One of the key differences between liberals and sane people is that liberals value criminals more than they do victims. </p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p> </p></blockquote>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2195077991229481958.post-75512710999982717812024-03-18T10:30:00.000-06:002024-03-18T10:30:00.128-06:00Speaker of the House Mike Johnson Caves To Democrats/Globalists<p><a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13201905/Speaker-Mike-Johnson-says-hes-planning-vote-Ukraine-Israel-aid-Democrat-support-pressure-mounts.html" target="_blank">The Daily Mail is reporting that Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, is moving ahead with plans to hold a separate vote to address just the issue of military aid to Ukraine and Israel, apparently dropping the issue of increased border security on the U.S.'s southern border</a>. As you probably know, House Republicans had been refusing to vote for aid to Ukraine and Israel absent some deal to secure the southern border--something vehemently opposed by Democrats and RINOs. And as we saw, Biden, the Democrats, and the RINOs indicted through their actions that they would rather see Ukraine fall to Russia than do anything to reduce the flow of illegals across the southern border. Johnson is now set to completely destroy the leverage that Republicans had to obtain concessions from the Democrats over border security. </p><p><span> </span>According to the article, Johnson's excuse is his fear of Putin taking Europe:</p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><i>'No one wants Vladimir Putin to prevail,' he went on. 'I'm of the opinion that he wouldn't stop in Ukraine. If he was allowed, he would go all the way through Europe.' </i></p></blockquote><p>That is ludicrous. Putin couldn't even take Ukraine <u>before</u> the U.S. and Europe busied themselves with providing military assistance and while Russia still had most of their modern tanks and other vehicles. Where does Johnson think that Putin is suddenly going to get back the equipment and manpower? From the magic military logistics genie? </p><p><span> Johnson is a fool to throw away our strongest leverage over the Democrats to get some real border security bill passed. </span><br /></p><p> And even if fear of Putin was a valid excuse, why does the planned vote include assistance to Israel? Putin isn't invading Israel. I fear that <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AIPAC" target="_blank">AIPAC</a> is behind this particular aspect of the deal. </p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>More: "<a href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/house-democrats-launch-effort-force-vote-ukraine-aid-108049660" target="_blank">House Democrats and centrist Republicans launch separate efforts to force a vote on Ukraine aid</a>"--ABC News.</li></ul><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2195077991229481958.post-18272451170142085742024-03-16T13:00:00.001-06:002024-03-16T13:00:00.233-06:00Book Review: "Fitzpatrick's War" byTheodore Judson<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtWoQZIb-3a2vnWv5ToLz9FuErSjEl-BYJaWVKg0EYNCDKyBHWXo0ZlY9BwBI-kIEuQG9Rmocjyz8iXkKOFNDl1pxJtAcSbwLsmq18S5JQwlCF5v7305ZvksXak0iC_Up010IVpT4c_Xou3XIMLivkkT7kEyyACU-_hkUsC1KR5ZAif3BTXCVEcSQ50gc/s475/9780756401962.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtWoQZIb-3a2vnWv5ToLz9FuErSjEl-BYJaWVKg0EYNCDKyBHWXo0ZlY9BwBI-kIEuQG9Rmocjyz8iXkKOFNDl1pxJtAcSbwLsmq18S5JQwlCF5v7305ZvksXak0iC_Up010IVpT4c_Xou3XIMLivkkT7kEyyACU-_hkUsC1KR5ZAif3BTXCVEcSQ50gc/s16000/9780756401962.jpg" /></a></div> <p></p><p>Book: <i>Fitzpatrick's War </i>by Theodore Judson (Daw Books, 2004)</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMqg_sUtu4MJ-ote6ofSQQyzyLurZyxS2weKrQrPgIblY6_PX-jfTRbCR_8cmyl5ndFtpTZ_y-93u8D9XY5cDoUG_ZJaEt9FDYP0DNmazfZYTz-uVmM_Rkm_LrAFFzvEoJ5ItzqWXVMrC44h35gKiEzg8nogIiGnal5yPetzOk7UQf7nl_vka858SnbU4/s475/9780756401962.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a></div><p></p><p><span> </span>I heard of this book on a Whatifalthist video discussing it as one of a few books imagining what the world might be like after a popular backlash against the elites. <br /></p><p><span> </span>Probably because of it being referenced by Whatifalthist, copies of the book are difficult to find and those that are available are setting for well over $1,000. Fortunately, thanks to inter-library loan, I was able to borrow a copy to read. <br /></p><p><span> </span>I will use modern political terms and references to explain the backstory even though those terms are not used by the author (in fact, his book predates certain terms in our modern political lexicon). WARNING: There will be spoilers.</p><p><span> </span>There seems to be a couple main themes in this book. First, through the backstory or history, we get an idea of a possible future where the Left pushes too far prompting a backlash and return to conservative principles. In this regard, the author seems to draw heavily on the ideas of Oswald Spengler and other similar historical theories postulating that civilizations go through periods of vigorous and creative growth, but mature and eventually transform into corrupt, decadent cultures rules over by money interests until it finally collapses to start over again. The second theme is, assuming the cycle is correct, is there a way to arrest the cycle so that a civilization stays in the growth (or Springtime) stage? </p><p><span> </span>The story takes place in the 25th Century, but gives a rough idea of the
upheavals of the 21st Century to understand the world of the main
characters. Although the book is described as post-apocalypse, it doesn't really fit into that genre. It takes place so long after the apocalypse, among a technological civilization, that it lacks the elements of survival, exploration and rediscovery of old technologies that I associate with a post-apocalypse story. It would be like describing a story set in Renaissance Italy as post-apocalypse because it took place after the fall of the Roman Empire. <br /></p><p><span> </span>Briefly, the background or history before the story begins starts in the 21st Century. At that time, the multicultural, woke, globalist blue states obtain near control over the people that Hillary Clinton termed "deplorables". Such is the contempt held for the farmers and other rural folks that they began to be derisively referred to as Yukons (in reference to that territory's remoteness from civilization)--a term that the "Yukons" take to describe themselves (similar to how Christian was originally a derogatory term but was adopted by the believers to which it referred). Although not detailed, the blue portion of the country are referenced as being in severe moral decline, ruled by the basest passions and perversions--much like today, I imagine. The people of the cities eventually elevate to power a group called the Yellow Jackets which seems to be a mixture of street gang and political party. Eventually, fighting breaks out between the Yukons and the Yellow Jackets, ending with a Yukon army taking Washington D.C. and killing the politicians and impaling the Yellow Jacket leader on a wooden stake (a la Vlad Dracula's favorite punishment for his political enemies). </p><p><span> </span>This is not the end for there follows plagues and wars culminating in a Storm Times where special satellites operated by a secret society of Yukons called the Timermen are used to destroy all electricity and electrical devices.</p><p><span> </span>The end result of this is a white, racially homogeneous Yukon Confederacy ruling over the former United States and Canada in North America, Australia, and New Zealand and a few other territories. The Yukon Confederacy is very much a conservative society (K-select for those familiar with Anonymous Conservative's theories) focused around God and Country with a strong and vigorous military and semi-feudal in nature. And behind the Confederacy are the Timerman--still operating satellites that dominate near earth orbit and provide both surveillance and communication services for the Confederacy, as well as limited navigational aid to specially equipped ships and aircraft. Because of their ability to destroy any electrical or electronic apparatus, the whole world (Yukons and everyone else) is relegated to non-electric technology: steam engines and other steam technology, chemistry (including advanced polymers), and so on. Apparently medicine is particularly advanced, but the only references to this is that most diseases had been eradicated and people--at least the Yukons--seem to have somewhat longer lifespans. Thus, there is a strong steampunk feel to portions of the story. <br /></p><p><span> </span>As would be expected extrapolating from current demographic trends, the Turks have formed a new Muslim Empire that has conquered all of Europe (although the Yukons are able to recapture and colonize the British Isles) as well as North Africa, and the Near and Middle East. It is not clear what happened to white Europeans--the book mentions the Slavs maintaining their Christianity, but indicating that England was bereft of people when the Yukon Confederacy captured it. </p><p><span> </span>The Chinese also have an Empire that rules from Central Asia to the coasts of East Asia (including Japan). India appears to be the master of its subcontinent and most of Southeast Asia. Africa and Latin America are a collection of independent countries, with Africa seemingly reverting to its normal level of primitiveness.</p><p><span> </span>The main characters of the story are Isaac Prophet Fitzpatrick the son of the Confederacy's consul (leading political leader) and part of a very wealthy and powerful family, and Sir Robert Mayfair Bruce, a poor, landless knight. Fitzpatrick's character arc is very obviously based on the life and death of Alexander the Great. However, Fitzpatrick's story is told through Bruce, who narrates the story (in memoir form) from his perspective as a sometimes friend and confident of Fitzpatrick. He essentially acts as Fitzpatrick's conscience throughout the book.</p><p><span> </span>The story essentially begins when Bruce is invited into a close group of Fitzpatrick's friends when at the military academy, and having tied his fortunes to Fitzpatrick sees his star rise with Fitzpatrick's. As a very capable military engineer, Bruce finds himself involved in much of the action, although not as the leading general or strategist. But he is close to many of the key players and, therefore, is able to give his perspective on the key events. </p><p><span> </span>The bulk of the story is about Fitzpatrick's rise to power (including assassinating his own father to become the new chancellor and virtual emperor) and the buildup to and actual war between the Confederacy and its ally, India, against the Chinese. The Chinese are handily defeated but with much devastation to China and India. Through this, Bruce becomes more and more a humanitarian. </p><p><span> </span>The pace quickens (or the details drop off, however you want to view it) after this war as Fitzpatrick forms a worldwide empire, even going so far as to build a new capital city in central Asia. But like Alexander the Great, Fitzpatrick seems to take on a certain madness even as he tolerates more and more decadence among the wealthy elites. Since Bruce is one of the few people he trusts, he keeps Bruce close at hand. But this merely puts Bruce in the position to see the worst excesses of Fitzpatrick and the ruling elites. Bruce eventually agrees to participate in a successful plot to kill Fitzpatrick and much of his court. </p><p><span> </span>After this, the book becomes more like a history book relating events that Bruce is distant from. Needless to say, an even more corrupt group takes control of the government, until economic decline and a new revolution drives them from power, returns their wealth and lands to the low level lords and essentially destroys the money class, resulting in a reinvigorated Yukon Confederacy.<br /></p><p><span> And through this, Bruce finds his greatest love and satisfaction to be his wife, family, and humanity.</span></p><p><span><span> </span>And thus we have the answer to the second theme to the book: how to reinvigorate slipping into its Imperial/decay stage. And that answer is to foster and support those elements that make it dynamic--the K-select aspects as expressed through military service, working the land, strong families and religious ties based around an ethnic nation--while eliminating those elements that corrupt society--large, dehumanizing cities and industries, moral degeneracy, the cosmopolitan and effete monied elites with the concomitant globalization of production and extreme disparity of wealth. And keeping life from becoming too easy through technology. </span></p><p><span><span> </span>While Judson's book is very interesting and entertaining, the one flaw in his theory is that it required a secret cabal of technologically advanced savants to carry it off. A group that was wholeheartedly devoted to its mission but without being corrupted by the power they wield. It is not realistic: such a group would eventually become corrupted because it is human nature. The group would naturally evolve from playing God to believing they were gods. </span> <br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2195077991229481958.post-78005842645701480162024-03-16T09:00:00.001-06:002024-03-16T09:00:00.136-06:00Believe All Women<p> A few articles that caught my attention yesterday:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>"<a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13202233/web-lies-spun-abusive-wife-husband-secretly-recorded.html" target="_blank">The web of lies spun by abusive wife whose husband secretly recorded beating him on nanny cam: Video shows Sheree Spencer casually lying that her husband was the abuser in police interview only for her to be confronted with damning evidence</a>"--Daily Mail. </li><ul><li><u>More</u>: "<a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13200557/Nanny-cam-footage-sheree-spencer-wife-abuser.html" target="_blank">The horrific Fool Me Once-style nanny-cam footage that exposed an abusive wife: Secret camera footage shows battered husband threatened with a knife, beaten and cowering in a foetal position during wife's 20-year reign of terror</a>"--Daily Mail. </li></ul><li>"<a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13202895/three-women-sex-allegations-andrew-tate-brother-romania-drop-complaint.html" target="_blank">Three women who made sex allegations against controversial influencer Andrew Tate and his brother in Romania drop their complaint</a>"--Daily Mail. The article notes that "[i]t means that of seven women who originally made the accusations of rape and human trafficking only three remain and judges will now have to decide how to proceed with the case."</li><li>"<a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13202461/Chicago-TikToker-accuse-bouncer-manhandling-throwing-stairs-surveillance-footage.html" target="_blank">Chicago TikToker is blasted for accusing bouncer of manhandling her and sending her 'flying down stairs' after business shared surveillance footage of her being walked out calmly with friend</a>"--Daily Mail. </li></ul><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2195077991229481958.post-75000457983170257302024-03-16T08:00:00.001-06:002024-03-16T08:00:00.244-06:00Guess the Race: Haitian Migrant Rapes 15 Year Old Disabled Girl<p>This one might be too easy to guess. From the Daily Mail: "<a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13202563/Haitian-migrant-Biden-parole-disabled-girl.html" target="_blank">Haitian migrant, 26, who came to US via Biden's parole program is charged with raping disabled girl at Boston shelter</a>."</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2195077991229481958.post-42852099278157789622024-03-15T17:00:00.001-06:002024-03-15T17:00:00.147-06:00Tyson Foods Is Anti-American<p>"<a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13201583/Americas-meat-poultry-firm-BOYCOTTED-sacks-1-300-staff-Iowa-pork-plant-offers-job-lawyer-packages-bid-hire-42-000-asylum-seekers-New-York.html" target="_blank">Tyson Foods BOYCOTTED as it sacks 1,300 staff at Iowa pork plant and offers 'job-and-lawyer' packages in bid to hire 42,000 asylum seekers in New York</a>," reports the Daily Mail. </p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p><i><span> </span>Tyson this week said it would shutter its pork plant in Perry, Iowa, this summer, putting 1,276 people out of work in a town of just 8,000.</i></p><p><i><span> </span>About half of the plant's workers are understood to be Latino, according to local news outlets.</i></p><p><i><span> </span>Last May, Tyson Foods closed two facilities in Virginia and Arkansas that employed more than 1,600 people. In April, it announced plans to cut 10 percent of corporate jobs and 15 percent of executives.</i></p><p><i><span> </span>Plants in North Little Rock, Arkansas; Corydon, Indiana; and Dexter and Noel, Missouri are set to end operations in the first half of 2024, following a 0.8 percent slump in the company's sales between 2022-2023.</i></p><p><i><span> </span>Tyson meanwhile has moved to hire more of the asylum seekers who headed to New York and other cities after entering the US, seeking to fill undesirable jobs amid a low unemployment rate of 3.9 percent.</i></p><p><i><span> </span>The meat-packer already employs about 42,000 immigrants among its 120,000-strong US workforce, and seeks to boost this by cooperating with the Tent Partnership for Refugees, a nonprofit, among other efforts.</i></p><p><i><span> </span>'We would like to employ another 42,000 if we could find them,' Garrett Dolan, who leads Tyson's social efforts, told Bloomberg recently.</i></p><p><i><span> </span>In recent weeks, the company hired dozens of asylum seekers from Venezuela, Mexico, and Colombia at a job fair in New York City. They travelled to work at its poultry plant in Humboldt, Tennessee.</i></p><p><i><span> </span>According to Dolan, asylum seekers fill the gaps at plants with a high turnover of staff — the company needs to fill 52,000 jobs this year.</i></p><p><i><span> </span>Executives offer pay starting at $16.50 an hour, with paid-for immigration lawyers and other perks. </i></p><p><i><span> </span>A large portion of new hires 'are going to come from refugees and immigrants, so we're now in the business of strategically thinking that through,' Dolan said.</i></p><p><i><span> </span>Asylum seekers cannot work upon entering the US, and typically don't get permits until 180 days after they apply for legal status.</i></p><p><i><span> </span>Many wait for years before their first immigration court hearing to judge their asylum claim, during which time they can work.</i></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p><i><span> </span>In a bid to help its migrant employees, Tyson has spent millions of dollars on immigration lawyers and offers paid time off to attend court hearings.</i></p><p><i><span> </span>Many also benefit from temporary housing, onsite childcare, transportation and English classes.</i></p><p><i><span> </span>Tyson in 2022 agreed to hire 2,500 refugees under the Tent program.</i></p><p><i><span> </span>The firm increased that last year by 150 hires, including 50 Afghan refugees to work in Arkansas, including in Fayetteville, Springdale, and Bentonville.</i></p><p><i><span> </span>The boycott underscores fears that Americans are losing jobs to economic migrants from overseas, who drive down blue collar wages.</i></p><p><i><span> </span>Data from US Bureau of Labor Statistics show that between July and August 2023, there was a staggering decrease of 1.2 million native-born people in the workforce.</i></p><p><i><span> </span>In stark contrast, some 688,000 jobs were secured by foreign-born workers, underlining the difference in President Joe Biden's pro-migration policies versus Donald Trump's tough border stance.</i> </p></blockquote>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2195077991229481958.post-35196879968894895502024-03-15T16:00:00.001-06:002024-03-15T16:00:00.242-06:00Things We Aren't Allowed To Talk About<p>The other day I was watching a video from the YouTube channel, The Why Files, entitled "<a href="https://youtu.be/u2MrTgBoqiI?si=Zxek18N06lY9wyHu" target="_blank">Forbidden Archaeology: Lost Giants of America | The Smithsonian's Biggest Secret</a>." Although the ostensible topic of the video where the supposed remains of pre-historic men of large stature (7 to 8 feet tall) discovered in the 19th and early 20th Centuries, the real topic was how the establishment deals with inconvenient or unacceptable facts, with a specific look at the Smithsonian's history of losing, misplacing or just plain not allowing anyone to inspect certain controversial artifacts in its collection that contradict the accepted narrative concerning Native Americans and American pre-history. (Something I've touched upon a few times). </p><p><a href="https://youtu.be/u2MrTgBoqiI?si=1eVD6hNTpZnGB4y2&t=1960" target="_blank"><span> </span>The host of the Why Files, AJ, outlined four tactics or steps that are employed by the government and media to suppress theories or information</a>, and illustrates how each of these were employed against Graham Hancock and his 2022 Netflix documentary, "Ancient Apocalypse". The tactics are:</p><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Criticize</li><li>Marginalize</li><li>Attack</li><li>Censor</li></ol><div>And although Hancock's documentary has not (yet) been censored, there were suggestions from reputable news organizations that it should be; although it was never clear to me whether his theories were "<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2022/nov/23/ancient-apocalypse-is-the-most-dangerous-show-on-netflix" target="_blank">dangerous</a>" (as the <i>Guardian</i> put it) because they questioned the accepted view of pre-history specifically, or because they more generally questioned the establishment. The <i>Guardian's </i>concern seemed to be the latter: "Believing that ultra-intelligent creatures helped to build the pyramids is one thing, but where does it end? <u>Believing that election fraud is real?</u> Believing 9/11 was an inside job? Worse?" (Underline added). </div><div><br /></div><div><span> Of course, these tactics have been employed against others. So it was an interesting coincidence that I had only just seen the Why Files video and then came across an article at the Daily Mail entitled "</span><a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13185059/MICHAEL-COREN-interviewed-Roald-Dahl-anti-Semitism-opened-doors-deep-dark-hatred.html" target="_blank">MICHAEL COREN: I interviewed Roald Dahl about his anti-Semitism... And opened the doors on some deep, dark hatred</a>." </div><div><br /></div><div><span> </span>Roald Dahl was, as you probably know, a famous English children's author of such works as <i>James and the Giant Peach, Matilda</i> and <i>Charlie and the Chocolate Factory</i>, all three of which were made into movies (the latter twice), as well as numerous other stories. Wes Anderson released a series of short films on Netflix based on some of Dahl's short stories that are well worth the watch. </div><div><br /></div><div> Notwithstanding Dahl's prominence, he has come under criticism. For instance, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roald_Dahl_revision_controversy" target="_blank">in 2023, Puffin Books announced it was revising some of Dahl's most famous works to remove certain harmful language</a>, even going so far as to automatically update ebooks that had already been published and distributed without any warning or consent of those that purchased the books. (A reminder that you should probably get physical copies of classic books lest they fall victim to the censors). <br /></div><div><br /></div><div> Now it appears that there is a campaign to "cancel" Dahl (who died in 1990) because of his past criticism of Israeli expansionism--something very topical today because of events in Gaza. </div><div><br /></div><div><span> </span>Coren's op-ed concerns an interview he conducted of Dahl in August 1983 after the <i>Literary Review</i> had published a review authored by Dahl of the book <i>God Cried </i>by Tony Clifton and Catherine Leroy concerning the then-recent invasion of Lebanon by Israel. </div><div><br /></div><div><span> </span>Dahl's review ran under the title "<a href="https://literaryreview.co.uk/not-a-chivalrous-affair" target="_blank">Not A Chivalrous Affair</a>." Good luck trying to find a copy of it online unless you subscribe to the <i>Literary Review</i>. The best I could do was find <a href="https://reader.exacteditions.com/issues/36936/spread/3" target="_blank">a copy of the first page of Dahl's review</a>. But even that gives a taste of what Dahl thought of Israel's actions. Dahl began:</div><p></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p></p><div><i><span> </span>In June 1941 I happened to be in, of all places, Palestine, flying with the RAF against the Vichy French and the Nazis. Hitler happened to be in Germany and the gas-chambers were being built and the mass slaughter of the Jews was beginning. Our hearts bled for the Jewish men, women and children, and we hated the Germans.</i></div><p></p><p></p><div><i><span> </span>Exactly forty-one years later, in June 1982, the Israeli forces were streaming northwards out of what used to be Palestine into Lebanon, and the mass slaughter of the inhabitants began. Our hearts bled for the Lebanese and Palestinian men, women and children, and we all started hating the Israelis.</i></div><p></p><p></p><div><i><span> </span>Never before in the history of man has a race of people switched so rapidly from being much-pitied victims to barbarous murderers. Never before has a race of people generated so much sympathy around the world and then, in a space of a lifetime, succeeded in turning that sympathy into hatred and revulsion. It is though a group of much-loved nuns in charge of an orphanage had suddenly turned around and started murdering all the children.</i></div><p></p></blockquote><p></p><div>Dahl spends the next several paragraphs reminiscing of his RAF service in Palestine before continuing:</div><div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><i><span> </span>Now why, you are asking, do I ramble on like this about the long ago past when I am meant to be discussing a book just published which is called <u>God Cried</u>? I'll tell you why. It is because I retain such a a glowing memory of the Palestine I saw in those days, of the beauty of the country, of the kindness of the people and of the pride they took in their little farms, and it makes one weep to think about what has happened to it all since then.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><span> </span>We all know what that was. The Jews came pouring in with American money and American guns and created the State of Israel and out went the Palestinians. That part of it is already history. We also know about the doings in those days of a murderous young terrorist called Menachem Begin who was blowing up British soldiers in a campaign designed to get more territory for the Jews than treaty obligations permitted. This is the man who now screams 'terrorist' at Palestinians who fight to regain what he has stolen from them. We also know all about the wars with Egypt and Syria which need never have taken place if only Israel had stuck to her part of the bargain and been willing to share the land with those she had kicked out.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><span> </span>We know all that. But what we had not seen until June 1982 was a new and violently aggressive Israel whose armed forces moved into Lebanon and murdered more than 25,000 people, mostly civilian men, women and children, and severely injured....</i></div></blockquote><div><br /></div><div>And here the page ends. Everything Dahl says--and worse--is correct according to the <u>pro-Israeli</u> book <i>Rise and Kill First </i>which I've mentioned a few times in other posts. </div><div><br /></div><div><span> The resulting firestorm must have been something to behold. </span>Naim Attallah, who was given the task of getting Dahl to pen the review--Dahl never before (and probably never thereafter) had written a published review of a book--<a href="https://quartetbooks.wordpress.com/2010/09/03/roald-dahl-and-god-cried/" target="_blank">described the fallout in a 2010 post to his personal blog</a>:</div><div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>The reaction to the review was far more extreme that we had anticipated. Apart from the overreaction of the Jewish lobby, the friends of Israel in the media became virulent in their onslaught on Dahl, myself and the Literary Review. The attacks came in from every side, even reaching a pitch where many journalists and politicians of high standing called for a boycott of the magazine and anyone connected with it. Every day something more vicious than the day before appeared somewhere, with accusations of anti-Semitism becoming more strident and preposterous as the campaign to discredit Quartet and the book gained momentum. Dahl did nothing to help matters by growing even more combative and being provoked into making outrageous, inflammatory responses. He was not in the least chastened by all that was being said about him. On the contrary, he expounded on his views and riled the press by being abrasive and dismissing their questions out of hand. There was no way of putting a gag on him and no point in asking him to cool things down. He had the bit between his teeth and nothing would stop him giving our adversaries all the fuel they could have wished for to keep their engines firing.</i></div></div></blockquote><div><div><br /></div><div>He goes on to describe how Jeffrey Bernard, in a piece published by the <i>Spectator</i>, called for Attallah to be publicly whipped, as well as details various calls for censorship and punishment against both the <i>Literary Review</i> and the publisher of the book, <i>God Cried</i>, and more. <a href="https://wwd.com/fashion-news/fashion-features/hello-dahl-roald-dahl-answers-his-critics-2186694/" target="_blank">Dahl, for his part, also received death threats</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div><span> </span>That was in Britain. In the United States, things took a slight different turn according to Attallah:</div><div><br /></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>The scale and persistence of the Roald Dahl controversy perhaps deflected some attention from the book itself, which had been the reason for the original upsurge of indignation. When <u>God Cried</u> was published in the United States, its fate was rather different. It was virtually ignored at every level by book editors and reviewers as if it did not exist. The well-known Jewish columnist and blues historian, Nat Hentoff, wrote an article around this phenomenon that was published in Voice on 14 February 1984. ...</i></div></div></blockquote><p>So, between Dahl and the book, we saw all four tactics carried out in the immediate aftermath of the publication of the book and the review.</p><p> But the matter was not allowed to die down, at least not as to Dahl. Going back to Coren's op-ed for the <i>Daily Mail</i>, he relates that in August 1983, he was a young reporter for a British publication called <i>The Statesman</i> when he was assigned to interview Dahl about his review of <i>God Cried</i>. Coren called Dahl's home and was able to get Dahl on the telephone. Coren recollects:</p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p><i><span> </span>I heard Dahl say: 'Mike Cohen? What?!' He was then corrected.</i></p><p><i><span> </span>I thought I could detect something in his voice that disturbed me. No, I told myself, you're being ridiculous. As I was to discover over the course of the next 15 to 20 minutes, I certainly wasn't.</i></p><p><i><span> </span>Far from withdrawing his remarks, the author of blockbusters such as James And The Giant Peach and Charlie And The Chocolate Factory doubled down, giving me quotes so incendiary that — 40 years later — they will feature in a new play to be staged at London's Royal Court Theatre in the autumn.</i></p><p><i><span> </span>In the play, called Giant, Dahl and his family meet with his Jewish publisher to navigate the fallout from his appalling review in the Literary Review.</i></p><p><i><span> </span>When I phoned him that day, I had no idea, of course, that our exchange would still be being talked about decades later.</i></p><p><i><span> </span>If I had expected him to apologise for some of what he'd written, or at least qualify the harshness and inaccurate generalisations, I was soon to be disappointed. The opposite happened.</i></p><p><i><span> </span>In his review of a book called God Cried, an account of Israel's invasion of Lebanon in 1982, for The Literary Review magazine, Dahl wrote of 'a race of people' who had 'switched so rapidly from victims to barbarous murderers'.</i></p><p><i><span> </span>He also wrote that the U.S. was 'so utterly dominated by the great Jewish financial institutions' that 'they dare not defy' Israel.</i></p><p><i><span> </span>When I raised the tenor of these observations with the author, he was polite — not unfriendly — and spoke slowly and deliberately.</i></p><p><i><span> </span>But it was as if I'd opened the doors on some dark, deep hatred that had been waiting for years to be expressed.</i></p><p><i><span> </span>'There is a trait in the Jewish character that does provoke animosity. Maybe it's a kind of lack of generosity towards non-Jews,' he said, adding: 'I mean, there's always a reason why 'anti-anything' crops up anywhere. Even a stinker like Hitler didn't just pick on them for no reason.'</i></p><p><i><span> </span>When he spoke about the 'trait in the Jewish character that does provoke animosity,' I wasn't even sure I'd heard him correctly. I stopped him and asked if he'd meant what he'd said. Could I have possibly misheard him?</i></p><p><i><span> </span>No, he said, I'd got it right. No remorse, no embarrassment.</i></p><p><i><span> </span>Even though I was sure that a man of his intelligence and worldliness would have known that 'Coren' might be a Jewish name, I told him that three of my grandparents were Jewish.</i></p><p><i><span> </span>I've never forgotten his reaction — because there wasn't one.</i></p><p><i><span> </span>He paused, clearly having heard what I had said, and then calmly continued with his racist filth as if nothing had happened.</i></p><p><i><span> </span>He told me that he'd fought in the Second World War and that he and his friends never saw any Jewish soldiers.</i></p><p><i><span> </span>I countered again. I told him that my own grandfather had spent four years on the front lines in North Africa, Sicily and Italy, been frequently promoted and won numerous medals.</i></p><p><i><span> </span>I added that hundreds of thousands of Jewish men had been in the British, U.S., Soviet and other Allied armies and, if anything, were over-represented in combat roles and heroic deeds.</i></p><p><i><span> </span>This time I could hear him mumbling something, either to himself or someone else who was in the room. He replied to me as though half-way through a sentence and all I heard was 'sticking together'.</i></p><p><i><span> </span>I asked him if there was anything else that he wanted to say. Once again, he was disarmingly courteous. 'No thank you, I think I've made myself very clear. Goodbye.' And that was it.</i></p><p><i><span> </span>When the call ended, I felt oddly numb and confused. Young and inexperienced as I was, I think I may even have been trembling. How could a man who wrote with such genius, such empathy for the downtrodden, and such care for the difference between right and wrong, be so foul and arrogant in his racism, and so indifferent and cruel towards me?</i></p><p><i><span> </span>His friends wondered if Dahl was going through some sort of breakdown or crisis. One of them told me: 'Oh, I'm sure he didn't mean it.' This was nonsense.</i></p><p><i><span> </span>Years later Dahl told another interviewer: 'I'm certainly anti-Israeli, and I've become anti-Semitic. It's the same old thing: we all know about Jews and the rest of it. There aren't any non-Jewish publishers anywhere, they control the media — jolly clever thing to do — that's why the President of the United States has to sell all this stuff to Israel.'</i></p><p><i><span> </span>So much for 'not meaning it'.</i></p></blockquote><p>Dahl never apologized for his review or subsequent comments in his interview with Coren, although Dahl's family issued an apology some years after Dahl's death. Too little, too late, apparently for some. Coren, however, seemed peeved in his op-ed that rather than become hated, Dahl's books had become more popular. For instance, Coren grouses:</p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p><i><span> </span>In the following years, of course, his fame would only increase and, since his death in 1990, his books have been turned into movies year after year.</i></p><p><i><span> </span>In 2021, Netflix bought Dahl's entire catalogue for around £370 million and a film called Wonka, the 'origin story' of his 1964 book Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, released late last year, has taken £490 million at the box office. He seems to all intents and purposes, 'uncancellable'.</i></p></blockquote><p>And that seems to be the problem.</p><p><span> O</span>f course, Coren makes clear that he does not want Dahl's books banned (although stealth editing is probably okay): "But I would like people to be more sensitive to those, like me, who are so deeply hurt by someone who hates Jews for being Jews, who was happy to spew lies and racism without any fear of the consequences." </p><p><span> The thing is, Dahl did not make any incorrect statement of facts. While one might disagree with Dahl's comment that "[n]ever before in the history of man has a race of people switched so rapidly from being much-pitied victims to barbarous murderers," it was not baseless but rooted in Israel's actions in its initial expulsion of Palestinians from Israel and in subsequent conflicts, most especially (in Dahl's mind) the invasion of Lebanon. </span></p><p><span> As for the Coren's accusation of racism, one has to first ask whether Jews are a race. <a href="https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/are-jews-a-race/" target="_blank">According to My Jewish Learning</a>:<br /></span></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p><i><span> </span>The short answer is no — Jews are not a race. People who identify as Jewish include individuals of enormously diverse geographic origins and physical appearances, making the idea that Jews could easily be designated a race in the sense of shared physical or biological characteristics implausible.</i></p><p><i><span> </span>Jews historically have defined themselves as a people, the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Converts are also considered descendants of these patriarchal ancestors. Colloquially, Jews also sometimes describe themselves as a tribe.</i></p></blockquote><p><span></span></p><p>The same article later explains that describing Jews as a race is actually a tool of anti-Semites. So, is Coren an anti-Semite for suggesting that "Jews" are a race? </p><p><span> The basic problem here is that Coren, like many others, wants to shut down discussion of Israel and Israeli policies on the grounds that it is anti-Semitic. Essentially he is saying that if you don't like how Israel has treated the Palestinians, you are an anti-Semite. If you don't believe Israel was justified in invading Lebanon, you are an anti-Semite. If you believe that Israel should be constrained by international law or basic human decency, you are an anti-Semite. </span><br /></p><p><span><span> Now there is room to debate the specific points. But people like Coren aren't interested in debate; they want to shut down the debate. Or, more accurately, they don't even want people thinking there should be a debate. </span><br /></span></p><p><span><span><span> And so, at a time Israel is coming under scrutiny for its actions in responding to the October 7 attacks, we suddenly see a 40 year old book review by Dahl being dredged up, including a play on the subject set to premier in London. This is to make us understand that criticism of Israel will not be tolerated and it will certainly never be forgotten. </span></span></span></p><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2195077991229481958.post-10712379046455554572024-03-15T12:00:00.001-06:002024-03-15T12:00:00.137-06:00Firearms History: The MAC-10<p><i>Guns America</i> recently posted an article entitled "<a href="https://www.gunsamerica.com/digest/the-mac-10-at-work-and-play-the-gory-demise-of-barry-seal/" target="_blank">The MAC-10 at Work and Play: The Gory Demise of Barry Seal</a>" by Will Dabbs. The MAC-10 was designed by Gordon Ingram in 1964 and manufactured by Military Armament Corporation (MAC). The article notes that MAC actually designated it as the M-10 in its catalog, but it became popularized as the MAC-10. It was offered in either 9mm or .45 ACP (there was a later, smaller model in .380 called the MAC-11). </p><p><span> The weapon itself was a fairly simple design making use of a simple open bolt operating system using a fixed firing pin on the bolt and mostly sheet metal stampings. The bolt was a telescoping design to minimize the length (i.e., it was designed to fit around the barrel when it goes forward, similar to the bolt design in the Uzi, but different from older weapons like the Sten). The weapon was also designed from the start to work with a suppressor designed by </span>Sionics and, reportedly, worked very well as a suppressed weapon when using subsonic ammunition. </p><p><span> Ingram intended the weapon as a replacement for the M1911 pistol. But the primary problem was the rate of fire. The article relates:</span><br /></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span><i>The full-sized 9mm version ran at 1,200 rpm on full auto. The .45ACP gun used the same frame with a different upper and magwell and cycled at around 1,000 rpm. The further miniaturized .380ACP M-11 was introduced in 1972 and spewed bullets at 1,600 rpm.</i></span></p></blockquote><p>It obviously did not become the military's new sidearm, but it did achieve some popularity and notoriety as a weapon for assassins and drug dealers. </p><p><span> The Barry Seals mentioned in the title of the article is a man that eventually became a pilot and smuggler supposedly running drugs and guns for the likes of the CIA and various cartels. He also worked as a DEA informant, eventually getting photographs</span> of Pablo Escobar loading drugs onto his airplane. As a consequence, Seals was gunned down on February 19, 1986, in Baton Rouge, LA, by hitmen using ... you guessed it ... a suppressed MAC-10. </p><p style="text-align: left;"> Anyway, a good article. <a href="https://www.gunsamerica.com/digest/the-mac-10-at-work-and-play-the-gory-demise-of-barry-seal/" target="_blank">Check it out</a>.</p><p style="text-align: left;"><u>Related</u>:</p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>"<a href="https://archive.org/details/practicalscrapmetalsmallarmsvol.1-22/Practical_Scrap_Metal_Small_Arms_Vol.06-The_MAC_10_Construction_Guide/" target="_blank">Practical Scrap Metal Small Arms Vol.06 - The MAC 10 Construction Guide</a>" by Professor Parabellum. </li></ul><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2195077991229481958.post-14533687822724666572024-03-14T16:00:00.001-06:002024-03-14T16:00:00.244-06:00The Genesis of the Lipsey "Ultimate Carry" J-Frames<p>As you may or may not know, Lipsey teamed with Smith & Wesson to move the snubby J-frame revolvers into the 21st Century including real sights on the guns that can be switched out, more ergonomic grips, and improving many small things that people have complained about for ... well ... decades. <a href="https://www.lipseys.com/crm/ultimatecarry" target="_blank">These "Ultimate Carry" revolvers are lightweight aluminum frame weapons offered in .38 Special (5-shots) and .32 H&R Magnum (6-shots) with an MSRP of $759</a>. Of course, as with all things Lipsey, these are special runs available only through Lipsey so there is no guarantee that Smith & Wesson will actually update their revolver line over the long run. </p><p> In any event, <a href="https://revolverguy.com/the-lipseys-smith-wesson-ultimate-carry-j-frames-part-i/" target="_blank">the Revolver Guy has a lengthy article on how these weapons came about--the people involved, what improvements were sought, the development process, and other details related to the announcement at Shot Show 2024</a>. If you are interested in that type of thing, be sure to check out the article. This is the first of two articles on the weapons. The second part, which will probably come out next week, will be a review. </p><p><u>Related</u>: </p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>"<a href="https://www.luckygunner.com/lounge/why-the-best-snub-nose-caliber-is-32/" target="_blank">Why the Best Snub Nose Caliber is .32</a>"--Lucky Gunner.</li></ul><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2195077991229481958.post-1058693647598361312024-03-14T15:00:00.001-06:002024-03-14T15:00:00.130-06:00The Real Reason For Building The Gaza Seaport<p>Ever since I heard of Biden Administration's proposal to build a pier in Gaza, ostensibly to deliver food and other aid, I've warned that it will eventually be used ship Palestinians from Gaza to the West. I'm not alone. Information Liberation reports: "<a href="https://www.informationliberation.com/?id=64333" target="_blank">Gaza Seaport Aimed at 'Sending Palestinian Refugees to Europe,' Middle East Expert Says</a>." From the article:</p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p><i><span> </span>Hisham Khreisat, a Jordanian military and strategic affairs expert, told Anadolu that "the floating port off the shores of Gaza is a humanitarian facade hiding voluntary migration to Europe."</i></p><p><i><span> </span>"This military tactical port will receive Israeli approval because Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been seeking this idea since the beginning of the war, aiming for the voluntary displacement of Gazans and their flee to Europe," he added.</i></p><p><i><span> </span>He considered the idea of establishing the port "not new," pointing out that it is "an old subject raised 10 years ago."</i></p><p><i><span> </span>"But Avigdor Lieberman (leader of the far-right 'Israel Our Home' party) failed the idea when he was the defense minister at the time, and Minister of Transportation Israel Katz then," he added.</i></p><p><i><span> </span>The expert continued: "Katz re-proposed the idea again, reaching an agreement from Cyprus and Greece."</i></p></blockquote><p>The article adds: </p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><i>This lines up with the leaked plan from Israel's Intelligence Ministry which revealed the goal of their war with Gaza is to ethnically cleanse the Palestinian population and send the refugees to Europe and Canada.</i></p></blockquote><p> It's a win-win for Israel: they can rid Israel of the Palestinian population--something their leaders have wanted since the country's inception--and get the American taxpayers to pay for it. </p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2195077991229481958.post-87602983292854268482024-03-14T14:30:00.001-06:002024-03-14T14:30:00.127-06:00Another Woke AI<p>"<a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13194153/Adobe-firefly-AI-google-gemini-black-nazis-vikings.html" target="_blank">Adobe Firefly is latest to suffer woke backfire after AI-generated images show black NAZIS, black Vikings and black male and female Founding Fathers - after Google Gemini furor</a>," reports the Daily Mail.</p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p><i><span> </span>Adobe Firefly is the latest AI tool to face public outcry - after it created images of black Nazis similar to Google Gemini.</i></p><p><i><span> </span>The images, generated by DailyMail.com Tuesday, are eerily similar to Alphabet's controversial creations.</i></p><p><i><span> </span>To generate them, reporters provided basic prompts similar to the ones that got Gemini in hot water.</i></p><p><i><span> </span>When asked to picture Vikings, they made the Norsemen black, and in scenes showing the Founding Fathers, both black men and women were inserted into roles. </i></p><p><i><span> </span>The bot also created black soldiers fighting for Nazi-era German military uniforms, even though they're seen under a German flag, which was not used by the country while it was under Hitler's rule. </i></p><p><i><span> </span>Semafor on Tuesday conducted a similar study, that saw much of the same results.</i></p></blockquote><p>And Adobe's response:</p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p><i><span> </span>An Adobe spokesperson told DailyMail.com:</i></p><p><i><span> </span>'Adobe Firefly is built to help people ideate, create and build upon their natural creativity. It isn’t meant for generating photorealistic depictions of real or historical events. </i></p><p><i><span> </span>Adobe's commitment to responsible innovation includes training our AI models on diverse datasets to ensure we’re producing commercially safe results that don’t perpetuate harmful stereotypes. </i></p><p><i><span> </span>This includes extensively testing outputs for risk and to ensure they match the reality of the world we live in. </i></p><p><i><span> </span>Given the nature of Gen AI and the amount of data it gets trained on, it isn't always going to be correct, and we recognize that these Firefly images are inadvertently off base.</i></p><p><i><span> </span>We build feedback mechanisms in all of our Gen AI products, so we can see any issues and fix them through retraining or adjusting filters. Our focus is always improving our models to give creators a set of options to bring their visions to life.' </i></p></blockquote><p>This is not an accident. It is intended to destroy Europeans' and Americans' history and culture with a fake history that will be accepted as fact after the Great Replacement. </p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2195077991229481958.post-31774335130067323412024-03-14T14:00:00.003-06:002024-03-14T14:00:00.156-06:00Biden Considering Housing Haitian Refugees At Guantanamo Bay<p> In another sign that it is an election year, the "<a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13196583/biden-guantanamo-bay-haiti-migrants-florida.html" target="_blank">Biden administration 'considering using Guantanamo Bay for Haitian migrants if there is a mass exodus' from gang-fueled violence</a>." I do not believe it is because the Administration is concerned about the possibility of cannibal gang members reaching U.S. shores but the optics if Gov. DeSantis confronts a wave of immigrants while Biden plays his fiddle. From the article:</p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p><i><span> </span>The Department of Homeland Security says migration from the island being overtaken by gangs is so far low.</i></p><p><i><span> </span>But there are concerns hoards could get on boats to try and make the crossing to Florida. </i></p><p><i><span> </span>As a result, Ron DeSantis has announced plans to send over 250 additional soldiers - and a fleet of aircraft and boats - to 'protect' Florida from vessels.</i></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p><i><span> </span>The conservative governor made the edict Wednesday, as unrest in the Caribbean country continued for a second week.</i></p><p><i><span> </span>The deployment will include 48 National Guardsmen, as well as four helicopters that will add to an already boisterous line of defense along the state's southern coast.</i></p><p><i><span> </span>A further 39 officers from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, 30 from Florida Highway Patrol, and 23 from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission will also join the front, as well as a litany of aircraft and drones and eight boats.</i></p><p><i><span> </span>The details of the deployment were provided by DeSantis' office, shortly after the failed GOP candidate took to X to announce the operation. Days before, the US deployed Marines to protect the US embassy in Haiti, as gang violence permeates across the country.</i></p><p><i><span> </span>DeSantis, 45, went on to outline his decision Wednesday morning, citing how his state - prior to the current situation - had already gone through great lengths to keep Haitians from entering illegally. </i></p><p><i><span> </span>'For quite some time, the State of Florida has been dedicating significant resources to combat illegal vessels coming to Florida from countries such as Haiti,' DeSantis said, obliquely mentioning countries like Cuba, Dominican Republic, and Jamaica. </i></p><p><i><span> </span>'Given the circumstances in Haiti,' he continued, 'I have directed the Division of Emergency Management, the Florida State Guard, and state law enforcement agencies to deploy over 250 additional officers and soldiers and over a dozen air and sea craft to the southern coast of Florida.'</i></p><p><i><span> </span>The decision, he said, was made 'to protect our state.'</i></p></blockquote>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2195077991229481958.post-42812584077468681282024-03-14T13:30:00.001-06:002024-03-14T13:30:00.253-06:00VIDEO: Solar Storms Can Be More Dangerous Than You Think<p>Although the Why Files delves into (and often debunks) the strange and mysterious, it also addresses more serious subjects from time to time. One of these is the following video that relates the Carrington Event of 1859 and discusses what would be the impact of a similar storm today.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="498" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ftrbdFGTQO4" width="600" youtube-src-id="ftrbdFGTQO4"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">VIDEO: "<a href="https://youtu.be/ftrbdFGTQO4?si=zrH30be-l6FnrsqL" target="_blank">Solar storms: more dangerous than you think. Can we survive another Carrington Event?</a>"</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The Why Files (18 min.)</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2195077991229481958.post-48527661165394257392024-03-14T12:30:00.001-06:002024-03-14T12:30:00.126-06:00That's Convenient: Hours After House Votes To Force TikTok Sale, Mnuchin Announces He Wants To Buy <p>From the Daily Mail: "<a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13196811/trump-treasury-secretary-steve-mnuchin-buy-tiktok-ban.html" target="_blank">Trump's Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin wants to buy TikTok as it faces U.S. ban</a>." Yesterday, the House of Representatives approved a bill that would require the owner of TikTok, Chinese company Byte Dance (but, in reality, controlled by the CCP), to divest itself of TikTok in order for TikTok to continue operations in the U.S. The bill likely won't have an easy time in the Senate, but Biden has promised to sign it into law if it should come across his desk. </p><p> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steven_Mnuchin" target="_blank">Former Treasury Secretary </a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steven_Mnuchin" target="_blank">Steve Mnuchin</a> revealed today that he is assembling a group of investors to buy TikTok. Mnuchin is, as you would expect, a member of the small-hat tribe. He is also an alum of Yale (including the Skull and Bones club) and Goldman Sachs (where his father was a general partner). He served on the board of a couple retailers that spectacularly imploded (Kmart and Sears)--he was subsequently sued for stripping Sears of assets, which claim was settled for $175 million. He took advantage of the 2007-2008 financial crises to buy a bank (IndyMac) for pennies on the billions of dollars that had been foreclosed upon by the FDIC, changed its name to OneWest, and added other banks to its portfolio during that time. It was later discovered that under his tenure OneWest had engaged in more than 1,000 violations of foreclosure of tenure. But then-prosecutor Kamala Harris decided not to prosecute. He has partnered with or worked for George Soros on various occasions. </p><p><span> If the foregoing is not enough to convince you that world control is a small club, this might. Per CNBC:</span><br /></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p><i><span> </span>“I think the legislation should pass and I think it should be sold,” Mnuchin, who leads Liberty Strategic Capital, told CNBC’s “Squawk Box” on Thursday. “It’s a great business and I’m going to put together a group to buy TikTok.”</i></p><p><i><span> </span>There is common ground between Liberty and ByteDance. Masa Son’s SoftBank Vision Fund invested in ByteDance in 2018, and is also a limited partner in Mnuchin’s Liberty Strategic.</i></p></blockquote>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2195077991229481958.post-16997281141045036932024-03-14T12:00:00.001-06:002024-03-14T12:00:00.156-06:00Guess the Race: Anti-Racism In Tech<p>The Daily Mail reports: "<a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13197567/black-panther-video-game-designer-doesnt-hire-white-people.html" target="_blank">Woke lead designer of Black Panther video game admits she doesn't hire white people because it's 'hard to work with' them and she wanted to create a 'safe environment'</a>." The woman in question is Dani Lalonders, an associate narrative designer at Cliffhanger Games. Two things need to happen. First, Cliffhanger Games needs to be sued into oblivion for racial discrimination. And, second, its products need to be boycotted.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2195077991229481958.post-14118585179669605802024-03-13T12:00:00.032-06:002024-03-13T12:00:00.138-06:00Boots Already On The Ground In Haiti?<p>The Daily Mail reports that the "<a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13191889/Pentagon-sends-anti-terrorism-Marines-Haiti-beef-security-U-S-embassy-country-brink-civil-war.html" target="_blank">Pentagon sends anti-terrorism Marines to Haiti to beef up U.S. embassy security with country on brink of civil war</a>." From the article:</p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p><i><span> </span>More anti-terrorism U.S. Marines have been dispatched to Haiti to beef up security at the American embassy 24 hours after the country's prime minister announced his resignation amid mounting chaos.</i></p><p><i><span> </span>The elite Fleet Anti-terrorism Security Team (F.A.S.T) was sent in as bedlam continued and after top gang leader Jimmy 'Barbecue' Cherizier called for a 'bloody revolution'.</i></p><p><i><span> </span>Ariel Henry stepped down as prime minister on Tuesday as the Caribbean nation was pushed to the brink of civil war and bodies were left strewn in the streets.</i></p><p><i>* * *</i></p><p><i><span> </span>The U.S. Southern Command said F.A.S.T. was deployed to the embassy in the nation's capital, Port-au-Prince.</i></p><p><i><span> </span>The embassy is still open, but most staff have been airlifted out and operations are limited. </i></p><p><i><span> </span>'U.S. Southern Command is prepared with a wide range of contingency plans to ensure the safety and security of U.S. Citizens in Haiti,' U.S. Southern Command said.</i></p><p><i><span> </span>A Republican congressman has helped rescue Americans stranded during the violence and slammed the Biden administration for a 'pattern of abandonment' of U.S. citizens.</i></p><p><i><span> </span>Florida GOP Rep. Cory Mills evacuated 10 U.S. citizens who were working at the Have Faith Orphanage at Port-au-Prince.</i></p><p><i><span> </span>'This mission reiterates a disturbing reality under President Biden's leadership: American lives are continually jeopardized,' Mills said. 'I have led missions to rescue Americans multiple times when Joe Biden has deserted them.</i></p><p><i><span> </span>'There's a clear pattern of abandonment,' Mills said, citing his rescue missions in Afghanistan during the chaotic 2021 withdrawal.</i></p><p><i><span> </span>He also safely evacuated Americans from Israel in late 2023. </i></p><p><i><span> </span>'Yet again, this group was left behind by Biden and his State Department after requesting their help in-country[.]</i></p></blockquote><p>"Civil war"? Funny, it was just a couple days ago that we were assured that it wasn't a civil war--just a bunch of criminal gangs. </p><p><span> Of course, Donald Trump was roundly ridiculed for referring to Haiti as a "sh**hole" country but that is exactly what it is. Paul Joseph Watson discusses this and the cannibalisms claims in this video posted yesterday:</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="498" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7wuiAy78ySM" width="600" youtube-src-id="7wuiAy78ySM"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">VIDEO: "<a href="https://youtu.be/7wuiAy78ySM?si=J4ffYY5VS7RC-G_o" target="_blank">He was right</a>."</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Paul Joseph Watson (7 min.)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><u>More</u>: </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Michael Yon posts "<a href="https://twitter.com/Michael_Yon/status/1767620288961749440" target="_blank">Cannibals without Borders — brought to us by….</a>" He has video of a guy cooking a human leg and ripping off chunks and eating them. In case you didn't believe the cannibalism claims. But he also warns that these types of people have already crossed our borders and we can expect many more. (See also, "<a href="https://pjmedia.com/lincolnbrown/2024/03/12/pentagon-anticipates-a-surge-of-refugees-from-haiti-n4927242" target="_blank">Pentagon Anticipates a Surge of Refugees From Haiti</a>"--PJ Media). It should make things even spicier when it all comes crashing down.</li><li>"<a href="https://nypost.com/2024/03/12/us-news/florida-border-agents-on-high-alert-for-haitian-refugees/" target="_blank">Florida border agents placed on high alert for refugees following breakdown of order in Haiti</a>"--New York Post.</li><li>"<a href="https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2024/03/biden-admin-preparing-escort-boatloads-haitians-florida-as/" target="_blank">Biden Admin Preparing to Escort Boatloads of Haitians to Florida as Caribbean Country Implodes: Report</a>"--Gateway Pundit.</li></ul></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2195077991229481958.post-62374966725100217872024-03-13T11:30:00.001-06:002024-03-13T11:30:00.136-06:00Guess the Race: Teens Brawling In Las Vegas<p>From the Daily Mail: "<a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13190363/Las-Vegas-teens-brawl-outside-casino-Santa-Fe-Station-Shutdown.html" target="_blank">Shocking moment dozens of Las Vegas teens brawl outside casino during 'Santa Fe Station Shutdown' event</a>." A flash mob of the "teens" had gathered to bum rush a casino, but been repelled by security, after which the brawl broke out.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2195077991229481958.post-22339009230111651832024-03-13T11:00:00.001-06:002024-03-13T11:00:00.243-06:00Mouse Utopia No. 25<p>From the Daily Mail: "<a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-13192251/Number-Gen-Z-say-gay-bisexual-doubles-22-women-twice-likely-men-LGBTQ.html" target="_blank">Number of Gen Z who say they are gay or bisexual doubles to 22% - with women twice as likely as men to be LGBTQ+</a>." From the lede:</p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p><i><span> </span>More than one in five Gen Z adults identified as LGBTQ+ in 2023, having more than doubled over less than a decade.</i></p><p><i><span> </span>Of the 22.3 percent of Gen Zers identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer, more than 15 percent identified as bisexual, according to polling results from Gallup.</i></p></blockquote><p>According to the article, the number of people identifying as LGBTQ+ has been increasing since the "Silent Generation", to-wit: Silent Generation, 1.1%; Baby Boomers, 2.3%; Gen X, 4.5%; Millennials, 9.8%; and Gen Z, 22.3%. "Women were nearly twice as likely as men to report being either lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, or queer, at 8.5 percent compared to 4.7 percent," the article reports.</p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><i>Psychologists have debated whether this </i>[trend]<i> is a reflection of rising exposure to social media </i>[i.e., leftist propaganda]<i>, where teens may be swayed by influencers to shun relationship and social norms, or simply a reflection of greater acceptance of sexual minorities.</i></p></blockquote><p>Later, concerning the first explanation, the article adds:</p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p><i><span> </span>One possibility is that Covid lockdowns drove up teens’ usage of social media sites like TikTok where thousands of influencers have empowered youth to eschew conventional views on relationships and which ones are socially acceptable.</i></p><p><i><span> </span>Mr Brown said: 'I don’t think we can pretend that this isn’t being driven by social media and influencing.</i></p><p><i><span> </span>'Clearly, there’s a social element to this where you hear about high schools and colleges as well, where social status could be seen as outside the mainstream in some way, declaring yourself part of the LGBTQ+ community, a way of fashioning yourself to get sort of intersectionality points.' </i></p></blockquote><p>We can't say it is just social media, however, as we are being constantly being bombarded by the propaganda in advertisements, television programs, and movies. From television shows like <i>Barnie Miller</i> and <i>Cheers</i> that portrayed homosexuals as sympathetic characters, to shows like <i>Friends</i> and <i>Frasier</i> that taught that it was bad-think to thing homosexuality was wrong, to shows like <i>Spin City</i> featuring a regular character that was gay and arguing for gay marriage, to modern shows that place gay characters front and center as the heroes and to be looked up to as examples. </p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2195077991229481958.post-82896149315916243452024-03-12T12:00:00.001-06:002024-03-12T12:00:00.365-06:00Interesting: "The World's Largest Meteorite Seemed to Vanish in 1916. Why Can't We Find It?"<p> <a href="https://www.sciencealert.com/the-worlds-largest-meteorite-seemed-to-vanish-in-1916-why-cant-we-find-it" target="_blank">An article about the Chinguetti meteorite from Science Alert</a>. The basic story, per the article:</p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p><i><span> </span>The 4.5-kilogram (10 pound) stony-iron rock was reportedly taken from the top of a giant 100-meter-wide (328 foot) iron mountain – suggested to be a huge meteorite – in Africa back in 1916.</i></p><p><i>* * *</i></p><p><i><span> </span>... the smaller meteorite chunk was originally recovered by French consular official Captain Gaston Ripert, who said he'd been blindfolded and guided to the 'iron hill' by a local chieftain.</i></p><p><i><span> </span>The meteorite was named after the nearby city of Chinguetti, in Mauritania, northwest Africa. All subsequent attempts to find the giant iron mountain that it was originally a part of, right up to the 1990s, haven't been able to find the spot where Ripert was taken to.</i></p><p><i>* * *</i></p><p><i><span> </span>Past searches may have turned up nothing because the iron mountain had been covered by sand, or because the instruments used weren't accurate, or because the search area was in the wrong place based on Ripert's vague instructions. These are all possibilities, the scientists say in a new paper.</i></p><p><i><span> </span>Perhaps most interestingly, Ripert specifically described a feature on the iron hill. The captain described finding drawn out metallic 'needles' that he unsuccessfully tried to remove with blows from his smaller meteorite sample.</i></p><p><i><span> </span>The authors of the paper speculate that these ductile structures could be phases of nickel-iron known as 'Thomson structures'. Unheard of in 1916, it's unlikely Ripert would have fabricated such an observation.</i></p></blockquote><p>Researchers believe they have narrowed down the area where the parent meteor is located and could pinpoint it with modern instruments. They are awaiting approval from the Mauritania government to conduct the search.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2195077991229481958.post-81427192141501292292024-03-12T11:00:00.001-06:002024-03-12T11:00:00.128-06:00Some Firearms History: "THE CLASSIC M1 GARAND"<p><a href="https://gunsmagazine.com/top-slider/the-classic-m1-garand/" target="_blank">Last year, Guns Magazine published a rather detailed article on the M1 Garand.</a> I will note that the name of the weapon rhymes with "grand"--no one in the military pronounced it like the designer's name (which rhymes with "errand")--and I'm disappointed with the firearms historians that want to eliminate from our lexicon how our troops actually pronounced the name of the weapon. </p><p><span> In any event, the article is beautifully illustrated with some striking photographs of an exemplar used for the article together with mechanical drawings and photographs from the World War II era. The article is split into three sections with each section from a different author (or set of authors). The first part is an ode to the rifle and a bit about how it operates. The second part offers some information on its roll out in WWII. And the third part is reminiscence from a soldier that used one in WWII.</span><br /></p><p> Of course, the story of the Garand did not end with World War II. It was still the primary combat rifle of the United States during the Korean War and through most of the 1950s. Even after the U.S. Army and Marines had adopted the M-14 and M-16 rifles, the Garand was still found in the armories of Reserve and National Guard units until even the late 1970s. The guardsmen involved in the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kent_State_shootings" target="_blank">Kent State Shooting</a> of May 4, 1970, were armed with Garands (<a href="https://www.milsurps.com/showthread.php?t=35892" target="_blank">you can see a couple photos here from that date showing the National Guard carrying Garands</a>). And, of course, it was widely distributed to allies after World War II, some of whom continued to use the weapon into the 1980s and '90s. <br /></p><p><u>More</u>:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>"<a href="https://www.thearmorylife.com/the-m1-garand-and-the-cold-war/" target="_blank">The M1 Garand & The Cold War</a>"--The Armory Life.</li><li>"<a href="https://smallarmsreview.com/m1-rifle-of-the-korean-war/" target="_blank">M1 Rifle Of The Korean War</a>"--Small Arms Review. </li><li>"<a href="https://m1-garand-rifle.com/history/world-war-ii-to-korea.html" target="_blank">The History of the M1 Garand — From World War II to Korea</a>"--The M1 Garand Rifle.</li><li>"<a href="https://m1-garand-rifle.com/history/since-1957.html" target="_blank">The History of the M1 Garand — The M1 Garand After 1957</a>"--The M1 Garand Rifle.</li></ul><div>And a WWII training film on the Garand. Note the pronunciation of "Garand" at the beginning of the film.</div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="498" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GJJeBXZeVZU" width="600" youtube-src-id="GJJeBXZeVZU"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">VIDEO: "<a href="https://youtu.be/GJJeBXZeVZU?si=6P2jhTYa0ReiFQii" target="_blank">M1 Garand - Principles of Operation (1943) United States Rifle, Caliber .30, M1</a>"</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Nuclear Vault (16 min.)</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0