View: ol remus and the woodpile report

Fresh every Tuesday,or near enough.

Link to this issue

Previous issue

. . . . .

Policy

Ol' Remus offers his opinions as-is, where is. He rarely cites support for his opinions so they are, in that sense, unwarranted. He comes by them largely by having lived and watched and listened rather than by argument or persuasion. His opinions are, therefore, not particularly accessible by debate or vulnerable to claims of illegitimacy. He entertains opposing opinion but he feels no inclination, much less obligation, to discuss or defend his own. Whatever usefulness or amusement the reader may find in them is their own business.

. . . . .

Links to offsite articles are offered as a convenience, the information and opinion they point to are not endorsed by Woodpile Report.

. . . . .

The content of Woodpile Report is provided as general information only and is not be taken as investment advice. Aside from being a fool if you do, any action that you take as a result of information or analysis on this site is solely your responsibility.

. . . . .

Copyright notice

You may copy and post lengthy excerpts from any original article without prior permission if you direct the reader to the Woodpile Report for the full article. You may copy and post a photo or two in a non-commercial website without prior permission if you credit the Woodpile Report .

. . . . .

Archives

Woodpile Report does not maintain an archive. Some issues linger on the server until Remus gets around to deleting all but the previous three or four. Don't confuse Woodpile Report with a blog. It isn't. It's an olde tymme internet site made by hand and archives are a dispensable chore

. . . . .

Regime-speak

You're about to be lied to when they say-

a hand upa new study showsa poll by the highly respecteda positive stepare speaking outarguablyarsenalat-risk communitiesbest practices broader implicationscollectivelycommonsense solutionscomprehensive reform cycle of povertycycle of violencedemand actiondenier disenfranchiseddisparate impactdisproportionately diverse backgroundsdivisiveeconomically disadvantagedemerging consensusempowerenhanceexperts agree fair sharefiscal stimulusfully funded give back giving voice togreater diversitygrowing support forhater have issueshigh capacity magazine history showsimpacted by in denialinappropriateinclusive environmentinsensitivityinvesting in our futurelinked tomaking a differencemaking bad choicesmarginalizedmean spirited most vulnerablemounting opposition tomulticulturalnon-blamingnonjudgmentalnon-partisan, non-profitnot value neutralnuanced off our streets on some leveloppressed minoritiesour nation's childrenoutreachpeople of color (sometimes, colour)poised to poor and minoritiespositive outcomepotentially progressivepublic/private partnershipraising awarenessreaching outreaffirm our commitment toredouble our efforts root cause sends a messageshared values social justicesolidarity withspeaking truth to power stakeholders statistics showsustainable, sustainabilitythe American Peoplethe bigger issue isthe failed ...the larger question isthe more important question isthe reality isthe struggle fortoo manytoo oftentouched byunderserved populationsundocumented immigrantvibrant communityvoicing concernworking families

. . . . .

You know what the media's saying by not saying it when they say-

gang-relatedgangbangermob and robmobbing up pack of teens rival gang membersroving group studentsswarm mobteen gangteen mob teensthugs unruly crowdurban youths young peopleyoung menyouth violence youths

. . . . .

Saul Alinsky's Rules for Radicals Tactics of the Left

Rule 1: Power is not only what you have, but what the enemy thinks you have

Rule 2: Never go outside the experience of your people.

Rule 3: Whenever possible, go outside the experience of the enemy.

Rule 4: Make the enemy live up to its own book of rules.

Rule 5: Ridicule is man's most potent weapon

Rule 6: A good tactic is one your people enjoy.

Rule 7: A tactic that drags on for too long becomes a drag.

Rule 8: Use different tactics and actions and use all events of the period.

Rule 9: The threat is more terrifying than the thing itself.

Rule 10: Maintain a constant pressure upon the opposition.

Rule 11: If you push a negative hard and deep enough, it will break through into its counterside.

Rule 12: The price of a successful attack is a constructive alternative.

Rule 13: Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, polarize it.

. . . . .

Artist of the day

Woodland Brook, William Trost Richards, 1861

Another stunner from William Richards (1833-1905), this one at his most Hudson River Schoolness

. . . . .

Like the flu, a nightmare's potential is fullyrealized only when shared. In that spirit,Remus has a story to tell you.

Escape

It was known to looters as the "miracle mile", actually three miles of four-lane highway west of the city, jammed with vehicular junk, parallel lines of rust and glitter and human ruins. The horror and stench deterred looting at first, afterwards the difficulty and danger of travel, finally the diminished numbers of able foragers. Rumors of how it came to be were forgotten in successive waves of catastrophes. From time to time wandering refugees came upon it, took all they could carry and moved on. Thousands of vehicles made good pickings even after all this time. Nobody stayed. Even by the standards that had become normal, this place was an unspeakable horror. What really happened was even worse.

When the collapse happened, it happened with astonishing speed. All wealth in digital form disappeared in less than an hour: bonds, checking accounts, investments, credit, debt, savingseverything. The economy immediately contracted to cash-and-carry with a side of barter. There were "addresses to the nation" and summit meetings and announcements, with draconian and contradictory decrees from DC, state capitals, mayors and even sheriffs. Everybody was in charge and nobody was in charge. The permanent government soon revealed itself for the madhouse it had been all along. Federal and state agencies were arresting each other, expanding, disbanding, merging and going rogue. Coup de 'tats and alliances and insurrections were reported and denounced and denied by turns until the tangled narrative became incomprehensible and, finally, irrelevant. Aside from the hobbyist preachers, the rumor mill took over short wave radio. Travelers from any distance were questioned closely. Only what they had seen with their own eyes was credited.

Distribution went from Just In Time to Pretty Much Never. The last freight train into the city was abandoned where it stood, there were no trucks for its burden. After the markets and warehouses were picked clean, foraging parties ranged into the more rural neighborhoods but they could barely support themselves much less the stay-at-homes. Worse, fewer returned than set out. Soon they didn't set out at all. Serious marksmanship had been rediscovered, largely because no amount of cash would buy the barest handful of ammunition.

Fuel of all kinds ran out. Even the spindliest ornamental tree became firewood. The weakened populace was dying in large numbers from want and violence and disease. Communities held periodic funeral pyres for the unclaimed dead. Mass starvation was closing in. One afternoon the grid faltered for the last time and failed completely. Mass communications winked out. Municipal water trickled to an end and sewage overwhelmed the system. Medieval times had returned in little more than a fiscal quarter. It was worse in Europe, worse still in Asia.

Mike sat wearily on the sloping ground, the long arc of the 'miracle mile' before him. He thought back to that chilly, sunny day of long ago. He'd been there, seen it happen. Early in the crisis something calling itself the Homeland Security Urban Relief Initiative asked those who could to relieve the pressure on the city by resettling. Dozens of small communities were outfitted and supplied to receive them. They offered zero-interest loans, suitable employment and housing in small town America, fully stocked and furnished. 9/11 didn't get more air time. This was a showpiece operation for the DHS, designed to overcome their reputation as arrogant, incompetent jerks. It was an attractive alternative. Conditions in the cities were scary-bad, worsening measurably and obviously unmanageable. Mike requested resettlement to a distant resort town and was immediately accepted. He had no intention of going there. All he wanted was safe passage out of this place. He'd take it from there.

All four lanes of the interstate west of the beltway were opened to outbound traffic only. Unlike the chaos of the movies and doomer novels, this would be a tightly run, convoy-style evacuation. A list of suggested supplies was provided. Tow trucks and emergency medical teams were prepositioned along the route. Troopers and volunteer auxiliaries would provide security and keep traffic moving. Once away from the city, food, facilities, fuel and assistance of all kinds were available at twenty-five mile intervals. Close-in access ramps were closed. DHS was determined nothing would impede their marquee operation of the decade.

The rules were simple. Current license for the driver, a vehicle in good condition and fuel enough for a hundred miles. No trailers. No commercial trucks. Combat veterans and former law enforcement were put in the rear of each convoy, families with children up front. Everybody else in between. Firearms must be unloaded and stored in a locked case separate from the ammunition. No knife with a blade longer than three inches on your person, no other weapons readily at hand, no flammable liquids in containers. Clearly label your excess baggage and put it on the trucks alongside the marshalling area, two hundred pounds, fifty cubic feet max. It will be delivered to you no more than two days after arrival. Show your receipt to claim it. Keep your radio tuned to the emergency station for updates. No stopping unless unavoidable. Disabled vehicles would be towed. DHS would tolerate no disorder. Everything was federalized. This would be no Katrina.

Mike took his place near the front as Vehicle 2-24. To their credit, DHS had gotten him to the four-lane without incident. He was impressed. He'd head south at the first open interchange, to somewhere in the Carolinas probably. He waited. A young woman in a TSA uniform knocked on the window of his van. He put a finger to his lips, shhh, the kids are sleeping, he lied. She smiled knowingly and spoke in a lowered voice. There were still some supplies available, was there anything he needed? No? Check. Did he have enough gas to reach the first refueling station? Yes? Check. Camping facilities had been set up a few of hours out, would he like a voucher? No? Check. You're all set. She handed him a marked-up map. He put it on the seat beside him. If he had any questions she'd be close by. Thank you for volunteering. Please drive safely and good luck wherever you're going. The SUV behind him had kids in it. She joked and clowned with them.

Mike had decent survival supplies, maybe not as much as he'd like, but enough. Tucked away in his sleeping bag were a 12 gauge over and under with a few dozen shellshe wished it were more but ammo was scarce, and a bolt action .22 with a so-so 4x30 scope and two bricks of hollow points. Not ideal, but it's what he had. His fuel containers were out of sight under his other supplies, thirty gallons, thanks to some fancy trading. When it ran out he'd use his van as a stationary shelter unless things got dicey, then he'd do whatever he had to do. He checked the map. The first interchange marked "open" was seventy miles away. He'd take it. His CB radio told him the highways out that way were lightly used, all but empty in fact. Good to hear. Although he had an outside lane, being trapped in this amateur caravan made him uneasy.

The barrier came down at 9 AM and the first convoy stepped off smartly. Mike's van was near the front of the second convoy. More convoys were forming up behind. The trucks in the parking lot alongside were filling up with baggage. Precisely at 9:30 his group was motioned forward. Almost simultaneously his cell phone service quit. Not unusual. He switched on his CB radio and got white noise punctuated with a shrill beep-beep-beep. Nothing seemed to work any more. The emergency radio station told him to expect a slowdown about a half hour out, otherwise clear sailing. A comically out of shape trooper urged them on with exaggerated traffic cop gestures. The convoy got up to speed. He was on his way and best wishes to the losers staying behind. He allowed himself to relax as the first few miles clicked past. This was really going to work.

The man acted like a raving lunatic. Mike silently admitted he deserved it, stopping for a hitchhiker. Some in the passing convoy glared disapprovingly. The guy had looked fit and able, if desperate and disheveled. His name was Ray. He said he'd run a long way through the woods before waving him down. Mike was used to goofball weirdos. Everybody was used to them lately. Ray choked out a fantastic story, going from tears to rage and back again. Worse, he wouldn't quite get in, nor would he quite get out. He became incoherent and buried his face in his hands, jaws clenched. Ray saved his life that day.

Mike stood just inside the tree line and stared in numb disbelief. A steady crackle of gunfire rose from the four-lane below. The vehicles in the rear were a sieve of bullet holes. One burned furiously, greasy black smoke coiling into an otherwise blank sky. A wrecker winched it off the pavement, ignoring the human torches writhing inside. Three-man squads went from car to car ordering everybody out, hands on your vehicle, feet apart. Some were defiant and had to be pulled out, most complied in stunned bewilderment, some begged and bargained, a few sagged to their knees, others shielded children and cried hysterically.

The troopers took no notice. Shoot. They dropped in a heap like empty laundry bags. Advance. Shoot. Auxiliaries in green utilities followed behind and searched for hideaways. Those they found were beaten to death with heavy pipes with much shouting and cursing. Detachments with dogs patrolled ahead of the shooters. Runners were gunned down and left where they fell. Troopers high-fived a particularly theatrical shot. Other than a few lingering, imaginative murders the work went on with practiced efficiency. Then all fell silent. The troopers gathered in little knots, snacked and joked and topped off their magazines, regrouped and repositioned. Suits entered data into laptops. In the distance a helicopter circled menacingly. Mike wondered if Ray had gotten the van into the tall brush in time.

Every half hour another batch of vehicles arrived. There's been an incident ahead. We apologize for the delay. Stay in your vehicle, you'll be on your way in a few minutes. Please pull up tight to the vehicle ahead of you, turn off your engine and await instructions.

The next day, cheery-serious television reporters interviewed arriving resettlers. Most gushed about their reception. An open-faced Joe Everyman said yes, there were glitches, but given the circumstances it went surprisingly well. Backgrounders nodded conditional agreement. A weary but radiantly confident spokeswoman for the Homeland Security Urban Relief Initiative delivered her bureau-speak: pilot program, highly professional, investment in our future, looking into complaints and taking them seriously, lessons learned will inform expanded effort. Cue footage: young couple unloading Jeep, sturdy tradesman with tools, kids meeting new neighbors, slow pan of tree-lined street. Voice-over and bottom crawl: newly added cities, dates and places for convoys, how to contact. In other news, affiliates are reporting a series of terrorist attacks on the interstate.

A note

Woodpile Report's schedule may be a bit erratic for a while.

Five men

Cousin Ezekiel has posted his new tale, Five Men, at Stories from outten the hills

. . . . .

1941 TWA magazine ad

Before the airlines mistook customers for self-loading unindicted terrorists.

First flown in 1938, a total of ten Boeing 307 "Stratoliners" were built. Based on the B-17 airframe, it carried 25 to 38 passengers and a crew of 5 at 200? mph, at a ceiling of 23,000 feet. Most were converted to military transport duty during World War II as the C-75. After the war a few were re-converted and updated for civilian airlines. Don't miss thisTWA promotional film for Stratoliner service.

. . . . .

In other news, the TSA is still insane.

Mom: TSA agents at Wichita airport treated daughter, 4, like a terrorist - Kansas City Star.

Family Misses Flight After TSA Gives Pat-Down To Girl With Cerebral Palsy - CBS News.

Congressman Canseco says he was assaulted during TSA pat-down - KENS San Antonio.

TSA screeners charged in drug trafficking, corruption probe for allowing drugs through LAX - Washington Post.

TSA Reportedly Tells Passenger To 'Go To Hell' - Huffington Post.

While seniors were distracted with a

TSA

runaround, their $300 in cash was stolen from a 'secure' bin -

Detroit News

.

Remember Steve Ulsterman's interview with "Insider" from last year? It sounded like something thrown over the wall from the wack-o side. Back then Mr. Ulsterman asked, "What do you mean by we  we are preparing for it?  And are you actually saying that Barack Obama would push for race riots to somehow win a presidential election?  That sounds&far fetched.  Even for this administration." The article is worth re-reading, at Before It's News. (Hat tip: JD, reader and long-time friend of Woodpile Report)

NASCAR has a diversity program designed to fast-track minority drivers and crews into the national ranks. Now one potential recruit claims he was discriminated against because he was too white-looking. NASCAR defends its decision, saying he could be a "poster boy for the Ku Klux Klan." NASCAR claims the color of a driver's skin can be proper criteria for an affirmative action plan, says Bob Pockrass in this article, Driver sues NASCAR, claims he was excluded from diversity program for being too Caucasian, at Sporting News.

Where the Martin-Zimmerman case is really heading, the mass psychology behind America's mainstream media news cycle and how the White House's Saul Alinski cadres are fomenting a new race war in 2012, in this interview with writer Patrick Henningsen, at Infowars. Video, 15m 23s.

Ancient masters of the new world - At a time when Europeans were still counting with their fingers, the Olmec had already invented the number zero. By 3000 BC, there were fully 25 complex cities in the New World. And Mann speculates that before Columbus arrived, up to two-thirds of what is now the continental United States was covered in fields, with much of the Southwest terraced and irrigated, says Jeremy Adelman in this summary of Charles Mann's books 1491 and 1493, The First Global Man, The Americas Before and After Columbus, at Foreign Affairs.

The wildly successful attack on American popular culture in the 1950s was an outgrowth of noxious ideas that consumed the intellectual classes of the West in the first five decades of the 20th century... And, in the most savage of ironies, that attack ended up not changing popular culture for the better but instead has led to a popular culture so debased as to obviate parody, says Fred Siegel in this article, How Highbrows Killed Culture, at Commentary.

About every 11 years the magnetic field on the sun reverses completely  the north magnetic pole switches to south, and vice versa. This flip coincides with the greatest solar activity in any given cycle, known as "solar maximum." Currently the polarity at the north of the sun appears to have decreased close to zeroit seems to be well into its polar flip from magnetic north to southbut the polarity at the south is only just beginning to decrease, says this article at Daily Galaxy.

The collapse that so many naysayers believe will never happen is, in fact, happening right here and now. The data suggests it likely occurred well before global stock markets melted down in 2008. We are literally witnessing the collapse of our entire entire borrow-and-consume paradigm, the aftereffects of which will not be pretty, says Mac Slavo in this article, Economic Nostradamus: We Are Literally Witnessing a Collapse, at SHTFPlan.

The bundler gets a pass - If Corzine were Ken Lay, it would be front page news, day after day after day. Government-funded PBS would be producing news programs connecting the dots for anyone who was unable to do it for themselves. And MSNBC would be all Ken Lay all the time... We now return to you to our extended coverage of Mitt Romney and his dog, says Peter Roff in this article, Biased Media Ignores Shady Obama-Jon Corzine Connection, at US News.

As many as 100 high school students walked out of a national journalism conference after an anti-bullying speaker began cursing, attacked the Bible and reportedly called those who refused to listen to his rant "pansy assed." The speaker was Dan Savage, founder of the "It Gets Better" project, an anti-bullying campaign that has reached more than 40 million viewers with contributors ranging from President Obama to Hollywood stars, says Todd Starnes in this article, Anti-Bullying Speaker Curses Christian Teens, at Fox News Radio.

. . . . .

TSA - How about we stop being a nation of frightened children and stand up proud and strong for freedom and liberty.  That's why all of our ancestors came here in the first place.Michael Kreiger at libertyblitzkrieg.com

The government of Spain in a similar desperation has banned the use of cash transactions above 2,500 euros. How do you think citizens are going to respond to this? People are already in the streets. They are not pleased with what is going on. Then the government is going to tell them they cant use cash amongst themselves so that the authorities can track every single thing they do and bleed them with taxes until they are slaves on a banker plantation. Everything is going to go black market and to a barter system.Michael Kreiger at libertyblitzkrieg.com

Nearly two dozen colleges and universities, or units of those institutions, are among the public entities that have obtained approval to operate drones, according to lists obtained by the Electronic Frontier Foundation. The Federal Aviation Administration released the information in response to a lawsuit filed by the advocacy group.chronicle.com/blogs/ticker

Florida's violent crime rate, which fell by 12 percent in the five years before the "stand your ground" law was enacted, fell by 23 percent in the five years afterward. Since 1987, when Florida adopted a nondiscretionary carry permit law that the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence blames for "year after year of carnage," the state's violent crime rate has been cut nearly in half.Jacob Sullum at reason.com  

Equal opportunity. Not. - The Justice Department sued the city of Jacksonville, Florida, on Monday, claiming its use of written tests to determine promotions in the city's fire department discriminates against African-Americans... The complaint said use of the tests "has resulted in a disparate impact upon black candidates" because African-Americans pass the examinations at significantly lower rates than white candidates. The Justice Department said black employees who do pass the tests rarely are promoted since their scores are generally lower than white workers.Gray and Maler at reuters.com

Note to thuggas - "Ass"ume that your victims are unarmed at your own risk.Matt at talltreeshortrope.blogspot.com

Traditional conservatives and the progressive revolution - You are the enemy because, as long as you, and your children, and your grandchildren live, the victory of the Revolution is not assured. Your question presupposes that your adversaries are playing the same game, by the same rules, that you areand that if you can gain some understanding, and create some mutuality, that there can be peace. I might almost say about you, that "You have a dream."James N., comment at amnation.com/vfr

Imagine - Let's imagine for a moment that a revolution were to take place. Imagine further that it were to succeed in deposing our current political masters. Given the assumptions and ideas prevalent among Americans generally, what would most likely follow?Francis Porretto at bastionofliberty.blogspot.com

Massachusetts - Obama's aunt Zeituni Onyango, a native Kenyan, had applied for asylum in Boston in 2002, moved into federally funded housing in 2003, and stayed there even after a judge ordered her to leave the US. Onyango eventually moved into a state-funded apartment, where, conveniently, her immigration status could not be questioned. Her deportation order has since been waived .Kathy Shaidle at takimag.com

Written out of history - The Old Testament recounts that 10 of the 12 tribes in the region of Samaria founded the state of Israel in the year 926 BC. The two other clans lived farther south, in the mountainous region of Judah, with its capital Jerusalem. In other words, the Samaritans were once in the majority. In ancient times, there were 300,000 of themperhaps even over a million... Recent discoveries show that the Samaritans suffered a grim fate. They were once the guardians of the Ark of the Covenant and the keepers of the Mosaic tradition.Der Spiegel via archaeologydaily.com

Only once has a third party elected a president. Of course, that presidentAbraham Lincolnwas somewhat consequential, but no matter.Francis Porretto at bastionofliberty.blogspot.com

If you see something, say something - Despite their all-seeing, all-knowing reputation, compared to other police departments neither the Gestapo nor the SD was ever numerically great. Post-war research has revealed that in the typical German city of Krefeld, between 1937-41 there were no more than 12-13 Gestapo officers for 170,000 inhabitants, a ratio of one officer for every 10,00015,000 citizens. Outside of major conurbations there were often no Gestapo personnel at all. In such localities, the Gendarmerie or the Schutzpolizei conducted the police work performed by the Gestapo in the cities. The SD were even fewer in number. Both organisations relied upon a network of agents and informers to maintain their terrifying character. To a large extent, therefore, it could be said that the German population policed itself.The Police State, deathcamps.org

New Zealand's Health Ministry has reportedly considered boosting the price of a pack of cigarettes as high as $100 ($81 U.S.) in a bid to make the country smoke free by 2025.Daniel Macht at nbcnewyork.com

Global warming - If I start losing the debate, I can claim that even if there is only a small chance I am right, then we still should do what I advocate because the worst case scenario is so bad.  The precautionary principle was always based on the implicit assumption that there was nothing equally bad that might happen if, say, we stopped fossil fuel consumption "just in case."Warren Meyer at forbes.com

I don't think its possible to come up with a real policy reason that money should be taken away from entrepreneurs and given to 18-year-olds so they can overpay for college, especially since most of the subsidy for student loans is captured by universities that have simply raised tuition to soak up each successive college subsidy program.Warren Meyer at coyoteblog.com

Chicago high school teacher - She claimed the NRA is indifferent to gun violence. She also asserted she has received emails from the NRA and/or its members claiming she is "going to hell" for her advocacy and "these porch monkeys deserved to die," referring to black children killed by guns. EAGnews.org contacted Jackson regarding these emails, wishing to make them public. We received no response.Kyle Olson at breitbart.com, classroom video

The watering down of the nation's money has averaged 3.24 percent per year since 1913, and I see no end of the watering down in sight... The predictions that Bernanke made are pretty impressive, namely that the economy will grow between 2.4 and 2.9 percent in 2012. But, in one of our reality check moments, we have to wonder if that is simply due to pumping up the money supply massively, and what would the growth figure be on a constant dollar basis?George Ure at urbansurvival.com  

A drug called colchicine, used to treat gout, which had previously been costing consumers 9? a pill was ruled proprietary under highly suspicious circumstances and now costs people like me, who aren't broke and don't have medical coverage for small prescriptions, $5.28 per pill. Even the medical community was outraged, but when the FDA doesn't have any rules preventing its members from taking fat jobs in the Big Pharma world upon leaving government, what would you expect? George Ure, to Gaye Levy at strategic-living.net

Job creation - Thirty-five big U.S.-based multinational companies added jobs much faster than other U.S. employers in the past two years, but nearly three-fourths of those jobs were overseas.Scott Thurm at online.wsj.com

. . . . .

A combination town hall and movie theatre in St. Johnsbury Vermont, 1937.

Puttin' on the Ritz in Murfreesboro Tennessee, 1935

. . . . .

top

For adjusting your monitor

We are fast approaching the stage of the ultimate inversion: the stage where the government is free to do anything it pleases, while the citizens may act only by permission.Ayn Rand

. . . . .

Gold is the money of kings, silver is the money of gentlemen, barter is the money of peasants and debt is the money of slaves.Traditional

. . . . .

The smallest minority on earth is the individual. Those who deny individual rights cannot claim to be defenders of minorities.Ayn Rand

. . . . .

Don't you see that the whole aim of Newspeak is to narrow the range of thought? In the end we shall make thoughtcrime literally impossible, because there will be no words in which to express it. Every concept that can ever be needed, will be expressed by exactly one word, with its meaning rigidly defined and all its subsidiary meanings rubbed out and forgotten.George Orwell, 1984

. . . . .

There's no way to rule innocent men. The only power any government has is the power to crack down on criminals. Well, when there aren't enough criminals, one makes them. One declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes impossible for men to live without breaking laws ... pass the kind of laws that can neither be observed nor enforced nor objectively interpreted and you create a nation of law-breakers. Ayn Rand

. . . . .

At its genesis, the ideal of a socialist society takes hold among the people. Promises are made and the manifesto of entitlement, social fairness, obligation, and social equality infects the populace. The socialist ideal eventually goes viral, and the majority learns to game the system. Everyone is trying to live at the expense of everyone else. In the terminal phase, the failure of the system is disguised under a mountain of lies, hollow promises, and debts. When the stream of other people's money runs out, the system collapses. Kevin Brekke

. . . . .

When you see that in order to produce, you need to obtain permission from men who produce nothing; when you see that money is flowing to those who deal not in goods, but in favors; when you see that men get rich more easily by graft than by work, and your laws no longer protect you against them, but protect them against you & you may know that your society is doomed. Ayn Rand

. . . . .

Because the regime is captive to its own lies, it must falsify everything. It falsifies the past. It falsifies the present, and it falsifies the future. It falsifies statistics ... It pretends to fear nothing. It pretends to pretend nothing.Vaclav Havel

. . . . .

Survival Blog

. . . . .