Opus 2020-129: Franklin Delano Pelosi

As the lockdown continues and I am forced to do some serious reading I came to a book that has been on my shelf for 40 years.  I started it once but did not get far.  It is called The Roosevelt Myth and deals with the way in which FDR has been mythologized by history.  A similar thesis was put forth by Amity Shlaes in The Forgotten Man.  They have different approaches and lift out different examples but tell much the same tale. 

I keep coming across things that happened as Roosevelt came to power and I see that some things have not changed.  You may remember Nancy Pelosi telling congress they needed to pass the bill to find out what is in the bill.  We laughed and felt uncomfortable.  She could have quoted FDR as her precedent.  When elected Roosevelt had to face the bank crisis and immediately closed the banks.  Then they had to figure out how to open the banks with no money.  The answer they came up with is one we are very familiar with today:  Have the Federal Reserve print money.  We don’t think this is weird today.  Immoral and bad policy maybe, but not weird.  It was never heard of in those days.  So the team through something together and sent it to congress.

“The new Congress met at noon Thursday.  Roosevelt’s message was read and the bill introduced.  This was the bill that was represented by a newspaper, as there had yet been no time to make copies.  No one but the Congressional leaders had seen it and it was passed in an hour.  A few hours later the Senate passed it.”  page 30

Notice the phrase “represented by a newspaper”.  They did not even have a copy to bring to be voted on so they rolled up a newspaper and pretended it was the bill.  Too bad they didn’t have the phrase “Fake News” in those days.

Within a few hours both houses of the legislature passed a bill authorizing the printing of 20 billion dollars and they never even saw the bill.  Keep in mind these are depression era dollars we are talking about.

Franklin D. Roosevelt was truly one of the most influential presidents in our history.  The more I learn about him the more convinced I am that the influence was bad.

Flynn, John T.  The Roosevelt Myth.  Garden City, New York:  Garden City Books, 1948.

homo unius libri

Opus 2020-128: Some Things Never Change

I was looking at the headlines on The Bongino Report and a statement by Paul Krugman caught my eye.  Krugman is one of those economists who seems to know nothing about economics.  You know the type. 

The quote, from RedState, was

“Repeat after me: debt is money we owe to ourselves. It doesn't make the nation as a whole poorer.”

This is the kind of nonsense we have come to expect from Progressives*.  What hit me was the realization that this is not new thinking.  It is simply a repetition of the kind of thinking and government action that is a result of the Franklin D. Roosevelt administration.  Yes, that FDR.  He brought in a bunch of bright eyed Harvard types who were not worried about how Roosevelt had been running up the deficit with his New Deal programs.  They wanted to borrow more.  Does this sound like Krugman to you,

“But to these new economic philosophers this was nothing to disturb the slumbers of the people.  Government debt is not like private debt, they said.  It does not have to be paid.  The government can keep it afloat indefinitely by redeeming old bonds with new bonds.  Moreover the interest on the government debt will not be a burden.  The debt is due by the people themselves.  The people owe the debt.  The people own the bonds which represent the debt.  The government taxes the people to pay the interest on the bonds.  It takes the taxes out of the pockets of the people and pays it back to them in the form of interest.  It is just taking it out of one pocket and putting it in the other.” page 160

Part of the Progressive* mind set is printing money and buying people off.  Congress just passed an unfunded “relief package”.  It wasn’t enough for the Democrats.  They want trillions more.  If they get it then they will want still more.

Some things never change.  That is why the people in congress need to be.

Flynn, John T.  The Roosevelt Myth.  Garden City, New York:  Garden City Books, 1948.

*(Liberals, educators, socialists, communists, elites, Rinos, Democrats, leftists, Never Trumpers, etc)

homo unius libri

Opus 2020-127: Election 2020: Go Slow on Joe

I think that the Trump supporters of the country should lighten up on Joe Biden until the general election.  We know he is past his expiration date as someone phrased it.  The left knows it too but isn’t admitting it.  The danger we face is that if they admit it they will actually move to replace him on the ballot. 

The danger of that is they might be able to come up with someone they could lie into office.  Keep in mind what a great job they did with Barak Obama.  He was a man who had never done anything and was totally unqualified but was sold as the savior of the world. 

It won’t make any difference to the 47% of Romney fame.  The mindless sheep and the America haters are in the camp of the Democrats.  What did that journalist say?  Let me paraphrase, “I believe Tara Reade.  I will still vote for Joe Biden.”  Keep in mind it is not pro-Biden, it is anti-Trump.  Since you can’t have whole wheat bread without grain that means they are anti American Republic.  They may be in favor of a fascist state occupying the same physical boundaries but a land of liberty?  No way.

So lighten up on Joe.  There is still the chance that liberals still don’t see what is staring them in the face.  They are good at that.

homo unius libri

Opus 2020-126: Election 2024: Platform, Address the Rogue Courts

One of the major problems facing our republic is the judicial system.  At the same time it is one of our great blessings.  How do we fix it without destroying it.

One problem to address is something I have heard called “tort reform”.  Not being a lawyer I don’t know how to deal with this.  It has to do with the abuse of our system through ridiculous lawsuits and outrageous settlements.  It gets to the point where insurance companies pay out large amounts just to avoid going to court.  I am sure there is a creative way to deal with it.

A bigger problem is the rogue judges.  These are people who have certain preconceived notions about how the country should be run.  They cannot win elections or pass anything through legislation so they do it by judicial decree.  At the present time one federal judge can defy the Constitution and throw out just about any law he wants.  It is making a joke of the law.  State judges can often be dealt with by the voters but federal judges have lifetime tenure.  At the present time it is mainly liberal judges who are trying to destroy our republic.  I would concede that historically that might not always be the case but the problem is real. 

Congress set up the courts and has the power to reform the courts.  They need to do so.  The Republican party should go into this election with a clear proposal on how to discipline these black robed tyrants.

We also need to remember the Principle of Unintended Consequences.  We may come up with a solution that we think is good but we forget that the law is a sword that cuts both ways and the guys on the other team are known to cheat.  We need to understand that people with no ethics will eventually control congress and the White House so they can run wild. 

If the judicial system is not fixed it could be the end of the great experiment called the United States.

homo unius libri

Opus 2020-125: Fear Factor

A link from Don Surber to an ABC affiliate took me to a story linking the panic lockdown to an increasing suicide rate.  We are starting to see stories about the deaths caused by the response to the Chinavirus.  The damage is more than economic.  There are calls for an end to the nonsense.

While I agree wholeheartedly with the call to end the lockdown, I don’t think its end will bring the healing we want.  The problem is not the jackboot government officials and their draconian attempts to do what is best for us.  The problem is the amount of fear that has been generated and how that fear is eating away at the inner being of so many people.

Franklin Roosevelt proclaimed the words that have been paraphrased so many times:  “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”  That is a bit of wisdom that is coming back to bite us.  I go to a store and see people wearing masks and gloves and carefully keeping their distance from everyone else.  I see fear everywhere.  I think that if all the pocket Nazis went away tomorrow we would still have millions of people cowering in their rooms, afraid to come out, knowing in their hearts that The Virus is going to get them.

If I had to lay this craven panic at someone’s feet I would pick the news media.  They have hyped, cherry-picked and outright lied in order to get people to look to them for direction.  I think the classic moment was the news conference where the cameras kept rolling and showed how the reporters all took off their masks and gathered together after they thought they were off the air.

I have no hope that they will ever repent of what they have done to the country.  There are a lot of people like this.  Most are relatively harmless because they never get the power to do much.  Others, like these media people and some politicians, are described many times in the Bible.  Here are just a few references from the Book of Proverbs.

(Pro 2:14 NAS77) Who delight in doing evil, And rejoice in the perversity of evil;

(Pro 4:16 NAS77) For they cannot sleep unless they do evil; And they are robbed of sleep unless they make someone stumble.

We need to learn to ignore them.  Take off your mask.  Take a deep breath.  Hug someone you love.  Will you catch a bug?  Possibly but your body is designed with those bugs in mind.

And use common sense.  Wash your hands, brush your teeth, don’t take rides from strangers, never vote for a Democrat and don’t believe anything you hear from the news. 

homo unius libri

Opus 2020-124: Headlines: The War on Terror Is Still Real

As I scan through the different headlines on the different news sources I keep looking for things that go beyond the current hot topics.  There is very little that is worth spending time on.  Most links involve lengthy videos that might have a few seconds you want in a 30 minute interview.  I found what I consider an interesting article linked from a news aggregate called Rantingly.  It took me to Fox News.

The title of the article was

“NAS Pensacola shooter had prior contact with Al Qaeda, FBI says, after finally accessing gunman's phones”

Most of us have forgotten and moved on.  It is reassuring to know that the Department of Justice has stayed on the job.  Apple evidently refused to help them break into the phone.  They did the same in the San Bernardino shooting.  I understand that they don’t want to help the government break the encryption of private citizens but since these people were dead and obviously criminal something could have been worked out without revealing Apple’s secrets.

Anyway, it is a good wake up call.  We need to be reminded that the great enemy we face is not a virus but an ideology.  This attack was clearly linked to Al Qaeda and was a blatant act of terrorism.  It was years in the planning.  We need to be aware that there will be other plans unfolding.  Remember, they are out to get us. 

homo unius libri

Opus 2020-123: The 76

One reason I don’t worry too much about the current virus is because I remember what I learned in science about how the human body is designed to protect itself.  It is a marvelous.  It starts with the oils on your skin that work to block invading organisms.  Yes, the oil that we wash off when we scrub for 20 seconds.  I also remember that some of the bacteria on our hands is beneficial to our health.  Then you have your white blood cells that attack suspicious strangers and if they can’t do the job they call out the hemoglobin SWAT team, the macrophages.  I always loved that name.  It means “big eater”.  Then it gets hauled out of your body through different means.  Next time you pop a pimple and the white pus comes out offer up a moment of silence for all the white blood cells in that stuff.  They died for you.

We have this thing called an immune system.  Being a Christian, I believe it is God given and God designed.  We can mess up the equipment by living wrong.  When you consider what they are talking about when they say “underlying conditions,” note that many of them are related to living fast, loose and irresponsible.  If working properly, our bodies will go a long way to healing themselves.

Sometimes people die from illnesses and it doesn’t make sense.  I can die with that.  We all have to go sometime.  One writer on Powerline has a series he calls “Coronavirus in One State.”  In episode 40 he reported the pattern for Minnesota:  The deaths involving nursing homes and underlying conditions represent 99.24 percent.  That .76 percent represents the unfortunate people who met a virus with their name on it.  I think we can live with that kind of risk.

So rejoice.  If you are into evolution, you have a body that evolved to fight the latest virus.  You can consider yourself lucky.  If you are into creation the news is even better because you are blessed.  If there is a third option, good luck, because you are going to need it.  Maybe that is the .76.

homo unius libri

Opus 2020-122: Headlines: Pills

You may have seen the meme about Elon Musk tweeting he took the red pill.  As I followed a link from a news aggregate site called Rantingly I found it interesting how dense some people can be.  Fox News which used to be “fair and balanced” keeps moving to the dark side and it is because of its writers like the one quoted here.

The article finds it necessary to try to explain the reference to “red pill”.  It comes from a movie called “The Matrix”.  I don’t know how many people tried to explain the movie to me.  None of them connected.  Finally I watched it on a flight to Japan.  Rantingly’s link sent me to NewsMax which gives this explanation as part of the story.

“In ‘The Matrix,’ the full phrase is about seeking the truth, with Morpheus telling the main character Neo that ‘You take the blue pill, the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill, you stay in Wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes.’ Neo takes the red pill.”

I have never been able to remember which pill reveals reality to you until I realized that red is associated with the right and blue with the left.  How appropriate.  NewsMax quotes a Fox reporter who obviously missed the whole point of the Musk tweet.

“However, Fox News reported Monday that the phrase has become slang for people who abandon liberalism to become conservative.”

Yeah.  That is the whole point.  Musk was pointing out that Progressives* live in a world of fantasy and make believe.  People who read the Fake News take a steady diet of blue pills so that they can return to their sheltered snowflake existences and never be disturbed by reality.

Has Musk really emerged from his lefty loft?  Only time will tell.  Fox News seems to be moving the other direction.

*(Liberals, educators, socialists, communists, elites, Rinos, Democrats, leftists, Never Trumpers, etc)

homo unius libri

Opus 2020-121: On the Street: Beware of Covid Drivers

I had a very clear signal that people have been locked down too long.  The drivers are crazy.

Here in Texas we are starting to get back to work.  The first place we tried to get dinner last night was so busy that we would have had to wait an hour.  The next place was only 30 minutes so we settled for that.  What I have noticed is that people seem to have forgotten how to drive.  That is not to say that Texas drivers didn’t exhibit a little too much enthusiasm on a normal basis but the things I have been witnessing go beyond the pale. 

I am hoping that people will stop celebrating in my lane and that the restaurants will get rid of all the social distancing nonsense soon.  If you live in California or New York you have my sympathy but I keep thinking that people get the government they deserve.  As the meme says, “Change my mind.”

homo unius libri

Opus 2020-120: Election 2020: Fear and Memory

I cannot figure out what is going on when I leave the house.  I go to the grocery store and 90% of the people are wearing masks.  Why?  Most of the masks they are wearing might keep dust out if they were sanding but not much else.  The virus that they are freaking out about so far has about a two thousandth of a percent chance of killing them even if it could find them. 

Is it fear or conformity.  If it is the latter, whom are they conforming to?  If we survive this with our country intact and our basic freedoms still in place, will they remember all the governors and mayors that have gone orgasmic on power?  We need to be taking names.  I am wondering if I will be able to travel so that I can campaign against the judge that threw the solon owner in jail.  Will I remember?

There are a lot of governors that need to go.  There are a lot of mayors that need to be voted out.  There are a lot of unelected officials that need to be fired.  We have passed the primaries so we are stuck with the candidates we have.  Remember that although Republicans are part of the problem, Democrats are not the answer, at least not in this century.

The second verse of the hymn “How Firm a Foundation” has been running through my mind.

“Fear not; I am with thee. O be not dismayed,
For I am thy God, I will still give thee aid.
I'll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand,
Upheld by My gracious, omnipotent hand.”

Obviously this is a theological statement but the attitude is what I take with me when I go out of the house.  My guardian angel never has my car warmed up for me but he is out checking my route for things I would not even think about.

Fear not, wash your hands and watch out for unicorns.

homo unius libri

Opus 2020-119: A Long Term Pattern

One of the great benefits of the viral panic is that the libraries are closed down.  In keeping with the elitist plan, the staff, public employee whom as a group are none for their liberal views, is still getting paid and are available to answer questions.  It has forced me to go to my bookshelf and read books I have been planning on reading for years.  One that I am re-reading is Race and Culture by Thomas Sowell.  After that will come Migrations and Culture, then Conquests and Culture.  I came across an interesting quote that speaks to the controversy over calling this thing the “Wuhan virus” or such things.  He would be banned today if he tweeted this, but that is what would happen to him no matter what he has to say,

“...Asia has suffered far more floods, droughts, earthquakes, and famines than Europe has.  Many of the great epidemic diseases which have struck sporadically in Europe have been endemic in Asia, which has been called an ‘epicentre of viral outbreaks.’  Its diseases have spread through both animal and human populations, and crop diseases have likewise originated in Asia, where agriculture itself originated.”  page 240

Fortunately he said this twenty-five years ago.  It is amazing how the MSM will deny anything if it disrupts their narrative. 

Sowell, Thomas.  Race and Culture.  New York:  Basic Books, 1994.

homo unius libri

Opus 2020-118: Election 2024: Platform, Go Kosher on Pork

The Democrats in congress along with a lot of disillusioned Republicans are trying to pass more bills to print money under the excuse of the Chinavirus.  I am sure it is for the children somehow.  This will be added onto the top of the trillions already authorized.

There are a lot of problems with this approach but there is one problem that makes the whole process evil:  Pork barrel amendments.  Each corrupt politician wants to add on “just a little more” for their special pet projects so that they can get reelected.  When you get done you spend more on bribes than relief.

I am sure you heard about the 25 Million given to the Kennedy Center.  That is just one of the examples of where the waste goes.  The Kennedy Center is a place that holds gala events that have been and will continue to be out of my reach.  It is a Disneyland for the rich.  It has nothing to do with being needy because of the government shutdown.

If you look you will see that every budget or special spending bill is loaded down with this kind of nonsense.  Surely it would be possible to write some kind of law that would make it impossible to do this.  Such a law would go a long way toward balancing the budget.

I think that this issue could be a winner as a platform issue.  Of course it would then need to be done, which is another issue altogether.  It would require two things I am not sure are available:  Politicians willing to take the high road and voters willing to do without their government bacon.  I still think this could be a winner.

homo unius libri

Opus 2020-117: Off the Radar

I don’t know if I should be relieved or disappointed.  I was being blocked from responding to comments on my blogs.  I was wondering if I had finally offended the censors.  Evidently not. 

I had my family geek check it out and it seems there was a conflict between Firefox and the additional protection he had put on.  It took about ten minutes and a few tweeks and I am back in business.

It helps to have a geek in the family.

homo unius libri

Opus 2020-116: New Terms: TOG

I am getting old.  That changes how I look at things.  One of the advantages is that I cannot be expected to do as much yard work as when I was younger.  I have begun to notice that my energy is about the same level as the tank on my lawn mower.  This has created a new metric for me:  TOG.  It stands for Tank of Gas. 

TOG is a measurement of how much work I can get done in a day at my age.  I can tell when the lawn mower is getting low because I am feeling the same.  For non-mowing tasks I can use, TOGE, Tank of Gas Equivalent.

I can keep going after that but it has a diminishing return.  Also the long term effects discourage getting carried away.  My formula has become one TOG earns one NAP. 

I was never big on yard work.  Now I have a reason.  I am not being lazy, just shepherding my resources. 

homo unius libri

Opus 2020-115: Election 2020: Time to Clean House

I hope that America develops a memory.  We need to see some serious Vote-the-Suckers out in November.  The ones in the limelight are the governors who seem to be getting a rush by becoming petty dictators.  One of the problems with Progressive* dictators is that socialism never has worked and never will work.  No one person or committee is capable of making all the decisions that keep an economy going.  Thus we have such moronic decisions as keeping liquor stores open but not allowing people to buy seeds to plant.  Or take the move in California to allow plastic surgery but they are arresting people for going to the beach.

If you are in doubt then the best procedure is to vote against any Democrat on your ballot.  There may be some local exceptions and there are probably some Republicans that need to be reminded of whom they serve but most of the problems are enhanced by the actions of Democrat governors and city councilmen. 

Are you awake Michigan?  Are there any people with enough IQ to understand left in New York?  Does Virginia have any Americans left?  Residents of Austin and San Antonio should just move back to California.  You get the picture. 

Keep in mind that this was a trial run for many of these people.  There will be another crisis next month that you will need to be protected from and if these people don’t pay a price they will be ready to do some big time protecting.

When in doubt, vote them out.

*(Liberals, educators, socialists, communists, elites, Rinos, Democrats, leftists, Never Trumpers, etc)

homo unius libri

Opus 2020-114: Headlines: A Bad Example

I have seen the question asked, “What’s happening in Texas.”  There are a lot of headlines about the struggle between liberty and state control.  You may have heard about the hair stylist, Shelly Luther, being locked up because she would not apologize to the judge.  You may have read about the sheriff’s department that raided a bar in full SWAT mode to arrest some peaceful protestors.  Now I read that the San Antonio City council has declared the term “China virus” to be hate speech. 

What is happening to Texas?  Democrats.  Californians.  Progressives*.

Most of the nonsense if located in or near the major cities of Texas.  They were described by one of the leaders of the state as blueberry islands in a sea of strawberries.  They have the common problem of all major cities in the United States.  They attract people who want the government to tell them when it is safe to come out in the sunshine.  I live outside San Antonio and I avoid it when I can.  When I am forced to visit Austin I feel like I am back in Los Angeles. 

I am in favor of putting a moratorium on California residents moving to Texas.  They do everything they can to pass their liberal agenda there and then when things get really bad they move to a place like Texas.  They really believe that Socialism is the answer and that it has never been given a fair shake.  Now they want to continue the California experiment in the Lone Star State.

As an ex-Californian I beg them to stay home.  Don’t do as I did.  Do as I say.

*(Liberals, educators, socialists, communists, elites, Rinos, Democrats, leftists, Never Trumpers, etc)

homo unius libri

Opus 2020-113: Math Lesson

There is a lot of confusion about whether we should be panicking or not over this virus.  I thought I would run some simple numbers for your review. 

One of the problems we have is that the numbers of “cases” is totally dependent on how many tests are being run.  It seems that many people have been exposed and either did not “get” the virus, were asymptomatic or had symptoms so mild it was dealt with as a simple cold or a light flu.  In case you are not informed, “asymptomatic” is a term meaning you have no symptoms.  In a sense it means the virus is having no effect on you.

Another problem with the numbers has to do with the number of deaths.  The people in charge have admitted that they are counting as Covid deaths people who died from other things but had the virus present in their bodies.  For you laymen that means they are lying.  The numbers are really unreliable but, unlike cases, dead bodies can be counted. 

So I will give you a little math lesson using two numbers.  One is the number of deaths claimed by the authorities.  The other is the population of the United States where, once again, bodies can be counted.  I want you to get a feel for how much you have to fear, or not.

As I am writing the number of deaths reported is 78,503.  This is from World Meters at 5:33 P.M. Texas time on Friday, May 8, 2020.  Keep in mind this number will keep changing.  My example is for illustration purposes.

I got the population from the same Website but a different page.  When I checked the United States stood at 330,724,486.

We are doing a little math so let me give you an example of how this will work.  Every time I do percentages I need to do this because I can never automatically recall the process.  I will start with a problem in which you know the answer, or you should.  What percent of 100 is 15?  Before Common Core the answer would be 15%.  It is still 15% even if your teacher gives you credit for effort.

The formula is a/b*100.  In our sample a is the 15, b is the 100 and the answer is a percent.  So,

15/100*100= 15%

Now, since our formula worked, we do the same thing with our numbers concerning the virus.  It will be,

Number of deaths (a) divided by population (b) and multiplied by 100.

78,503/330,724,486*100 = 0.0237366760923774%

Compare this answer to the example above.  Notice there is a decimal point.  This does not say that the deaths are 2.3 percent or 23 percent.  This says that the deaths are 23thousandths of a percent, or round it off to 24 thousandths.  What that means is that if you multiplied the deaths by 100 to 785,000  you  would get up to a mortality rate of 2.4 percent. 

Your risk of dying from this disease is microscopically small.  For comparison, assume that everyone lived to be 100 years old.  That means that one person out of 100 would die each year for an average of 1%.  Now think about how used to that we are.

So relax.  Do a little math.  Do a little thinking.  And as always, wash your hands on general principle.  Also look both ways before you cross the street, don’t drive through a flooded section of the highway, don’t eat raw chicken, never trust a Democrat or a reporter...you get the idea.

homo unius libri

Opus 2020-112: Radar Check

I am wondering if I have finally made it on the radar.  I was trying to respond to Chipmunk on my Opus 2020-110 post and I kept getting blocked by Blogger.  I will give this short little bit a try and see if I have been put out to pasture.

homo unius libri

Opus 2020-111: Election 2024: Leaders Emerging from the Pack

We are already looking at some possible candidates for president in 2024.  Choosing a president is a process.  You have people that look good but can’t take the heat.  You have leaders who are right on one issue but you find out they are wrong on the others.

I am liking the governor of South Dakota, Kristi Noem.  If you have only been watching CNN or going to Drudge you may have missed it but she has refused to shut her state down for the Chinavirus panic.  This is the kind of leadership we could use after Trump puts in his eight years.  I don’t know where she stands on the other issues I care about but her actions in contrast to Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan have given me some hope in future leaders of America.

It is never too early to start considering possibilities.

homo unius libri

Opus 2020-110: Monday Pulpit: Chips of the Beast

If you are a Christian and getting nervous pat yourself on the back.  If you are not a Christian and wonder why Christians are getting nervous it is because you haven’t read the book.  I am referring to a growing voice calling for every person to carry an ID to show that they have been vaccinated.  For the Progressives* this is a dream come true.  It will allow them to expand their control to levels that the average citizen cannot comprehend.

Most people have seen the number 666 used in ways they may not understand.  Others have heard of something called the “mark of the beast”.  These are flags that are found in the Bible to designate the final world government that is prophesied to arise to destroy God’s people. 

You need a little Bible quoting to get this.  Keep in mind that this was written thousands of years ago.  There are a number of references to beasts in Revelation but one we are concerned with is in chapter 13.

The prophecy says that everyone will be required to receive this mark.

(Rev 13:16-17 KJV) And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:  And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

When you hear people talking about government issued, digital ID and doing away with cash this verse pops into people’s minds if they are familiar with the Bible.  Notice that you will not be able to buy or sell without this mark on your body.  The ideas being put forward by Bill Gates and Dr. Fauci fit right into this scenario.  Where does the 666 come from?

(Rev 13:18 KJV) Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.

You have seen the memes that have German soldiers stopping people and examining their papers.  If you have never traveled much you might not realize how much other governments are already doing this kind of thing.  In most countries the police have the right to stop you any time and demand your “papers”.  If you travel you will often be required to turn in your passport at the desk of the hotel or at least have it registered. 

One of the reasons I am against a government issued national ID is because of the ability it gives the government to track you and control you.  Picture how this would go if all your transactions required a chip to complete.  Some little man with a Napoleon complex, sitting in an isolated office who has just had his wife humiliate him in public will be able to decide if you should be able to buy a ticket to leave on vacation.  If you think the IRS or DMV are hard to deal with just picture dealing with something like this.

If you have nothing to hide and are happy with your cable and six pack, it is possible that you will never notice...until you do and then it will be too late.

Don’t let the hype over another flu season allow you to give away your liberty.

*(Liberals, educators, socialists, communists, elites, Rinos, Democrats, leftists, Never Trumpers, etc)

homo unius libri

Opus 2020-109: Firsts: A Little Splash

Years ago I used to wonder what made new parents to silly.  How can you get excited about a baby turning over?  I found out it isn’t hard.

Now as a grandparent I am finding out why we are so strange.  We get excited about the weirdest things.  My granddaughter had a first and, although you don’t want me to, I need to share it with you.

She had her first non-diaper discharge and she managed to get it inside the toilet.  If that does not make your day I understand but sometimes we need to share the victories as well as the defeats.  The prospect of not having to change diapers is a world changer.

homo unius libri

Opus 2020-108: The Times, They Are A-Changing

I need habits and patterns in my life.  Routine keeps me from forgetting things.  For instance, I need to take a pill each day.  How do I remember?  How do I know if I remembered?  I build it into a routine and make myself have a knee jerk reaction that involves the pill.  Helpful in taking pills but dangerous in everyday life.

We get to where we take things for granted and stop being critical.  Do you remember the days in which you could pick up a newspaper and look at the front page feeling you were going to get a window into the world?  There was a time when we felt like we could watch the evening news and get a summary of what was needed to be an informed citizen.

Remember when you could rely on the skilled members of your community?  You could ask a doctor for advice and expect it to be useful.  I remember being raised to think of policemen as being trustworthy.  A teacher was expected to know something worth passing on.  A college professor was actually a scholar.  Remember when a high school diploma meant you could read, write and do basic math?

Things have changed.

As a teacher I have been asked what was really important for students to learn.  One central bit of knowledge to me was the scientific method.  That might be strange because I was a history teacher, but the basics of the scientific method applied to just about any discipline.  The problem I started running into was that even the science teachers seemed to have no understanding of the scientific method.  The scientific method is an organized way to test for the truth of a theory, in science called an hypothesis.  At the end of the cycle you come up with a new theory based on the success or failure of the last and keep learning. 

We are currently into the bastardization of science.  We are not longer seeking truth.  We are creating charts and graphs that back up the conclusion that brings us wealth and power.  I began seeing this in faculty meetings when they started talking about “experienced based” instead of “research based”.  What educators do is look for cute anecdotes that illustrates the point they want.  It does not need to represent any real trend or common occurrence but it needs to touch the hearts and manipulate the mind.  They then say that experience has proven their point.

We need to beware of experts bringing gifts.  It may be that they have the cure for cancer.  It may be that they are simply looking for the password to your life.  Don’t believe them when they say that studies prove something that doesn’t sound right to you.  Common sense is much more valuable than studies by modern scientists, sociologists, educators or government employees.

Obviously my comments have to do with the recent panic over another flu out of Asia.  Do your own research.  Examine the numbers yourself.  I live in a county that has had 6 deaths blamed on the Chinavirus.  There are six counties around us that have a total of one death.  Guess what we have that I don’t think they have?  Hospitals.  Where do people die today.  Hospitals.  The one other county is Bexar which contains San Antonio, the seventh largest city in America.  They have 44 deaths.  Guess what they have.  Hospitals.  Where do people send suspected infections?  San Antonio Hospitals.  Then you factor in all the lying going on about whom to count as a Covid-19 death and ask yourself, “What am I worried about?”

Wash your hands and your vegetables.  Watch out for unicorns spreading death.

homo unius libri

Opus 2020-107: On the Street: Gap Psychology

You may have heard the panic mongers frantic about how empty the shelves are in the grocery stores.  The cry is that the supply chain is breaking down.  The fear is that we will starve to death.

Let’s look at this with a bit of logic.  I read one article that said Americans eat 15-30% of their meals in restaurants.  That seems like a wide range, but lets go with it.  I saw another headline recently that stated Americans were spending more on eating out than eating in.  Of course that was before the government closed down all the little restaurants.  What happens when a population that used to eat out all the time suddenly needs to fix dinner at home?  In my world they buy groceries.

Take the low number.  If we suddenly have a 15% increase in the amount of everyday groceries people buy, what will the shelves look like?  What will go first?  Add to that people who are stocking up and it doesn’t take much to see why the shelves have gaps.

Are we in danger of going hungry?  Not yet.  Keep in mind that if you can’t get designer label “gourmet” cuisine the store brand will probably be available.  You may prefer to go hungry but the real thing will change your outlook.

Bon Appetit

homo unius libri

Opus 2020-106: On the Street: The Noose Loosens

In a manner of speaking, Texas is opening up again.  Since I am of the persuasion that there was never any real reason to lock down, it is too little, too late.  But at least it is something.  To celebrate our desire to support the small businesses all over Texas, we went out to breakfast.  We even called and made a reservation so they would know we were coming.

I expected the place to be packed to 25% capacity but it was way short of that.  We had a chance to talk to the waitress.  She has a ten month old that she had been bringing to work with her since they were only doing take out and curb side.  She had been working with no salary, only tips while the government employees kept getting their checks.

It was an interesting discussion.  Since she and most of the staff are German emigrants they have not been eligible for any of the government hand outs.  She was not sure that they would be able to make it over the hump but they were going to give it a try.  She said that during the shut down the city health department people spent a lot of time hanging around outside looking for violations.  The little people with dictatorial power are really feeling their oats.

It is going to be a good chance to see whom we want to support in the future.  My wife and daughter went to an Italian place before the big opening and asked if they would be opening when they could.  They seemed horrified at the idea and didn’t even want people waiting inside for their take out.  It was a place they would drive across town to get to before.  It is now on their “never again” list.

I normally don’t go out much but now that things are loosening up I may go out to see who is open and spread around a little money.  It is past time to grow up and get past the panic.

homo unius libri