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Thursday, June 25, 2020

Some Barrators and Conspirators Against Rights

Some Barrators and Conspirators Against Rights, openly acting in violation of Code of Virginia § 18.2-452, and US Code 18 § 241, and operating under color of law in violation of US Code 18 § 242:

G. Zachary Terwilliger, US Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia
Tracy Doherty-McCormick, First Assistant US Attorney
Kellen S. Dwyer, Assistant United States Attorney
Thomas W. Traxler, Assistant United States Attorney
Gordon D. Kromberg, Assistant United States Attorney
Alexander P. Berrang, Assistant United States Attorney
Adam Small, Trial Attorney, National Security Division, US Department of Justice
Nicholas Hunter, Trial Attorney, National Security Division, US Department of Justice

WARNING!

It's important to remember that while the people above are cowards who generally conduct their violent crimes through proxies, they are violent, dishonest criminals and are therefore potentially dangerous to all honest persons.

Negatively socially preferencing -- shunning, ostracizing, refusing to do business with, etc. -- them isn't just a punishment they deserve, it's a defensive measure for your protection.

Wednesday, June 24, 2020

Could the 2020 Republican National Convention Cost Trump Florida's Electoral Votes?

In 2016, Donald Trump carried Florida by 1.3% over Hillary Clinton. He carried Duval County by a slightly larger margin than that.

Current polling has Joe Biden carrying Duval County in November, and the county's residents opposing a Jacksonville show by the Great Traveling Republican National Convention Circus.

If the numbers of votes cast are similar this time, only about 60,000 votes out of 9.4 million cast have to go the other way to change the outcome. So if the sentiments that seem to be playing in Duval County are radiating out into other Trump 2016 territory, it may be the ballgame.

Friday, June 19, 2020

This Will Not Stand, This Aggression Against the Gator Nation

Easily the dumbest goddamn thing I've read this week.

If you don't believe me, ask Lawrence Wright.

Note to University of Florida president Kent Fuchs: That thing you're doing that you think is thinking isn't.

Thursday, June 18, 2020

Survey Says ...

Well, I don't know what it says. Nobody will know what it says until y'all take it.

If you're interested in what the Libertarian Party's 2020 platform committee is recommending this year, please do so!

Tuesday, June 09, 2020

The Good News and the Bad News

Got the results of my chest X-ray. Straight paste from the online chart:

-----
EXAM: XR CHEST 2 VIEWS

INDICATION: 53 years Male Dyspnea, unspecified type

COMPARISON: None

INTERPRETATION:

MONITORING DEVICES: None.

CARDIOVASCULAR: Normal heart size. Normal central pulmonary vessels.
PULMONARY: Normal lung volumes. Lungs are clear of consolidation. No pleural effusion or
pneumothorax.
UPPER ABDOMEN: Normal.
MUSCULOSKELETAL: Normal.

IMPRESSION:
NORMAL CHEST.

ACUITY LEVEL: 1. Routine: A normal examination or findings that are inconsequential.
-----

All of that looks good vis a vis lung cancer or congestive heart failure. I had a "good result" stress test and echocardiogram a couple of years ago as well. My pulse ox runs about 97.

That's all good news.

But I've felt slightly short of breath, all the time, for several months now, ever since a two-week bout of really difficult breathing and terrible cough in January that I considered the "come to Jesus" moment on smoking (I quit doing that on February 15, with the assistance of Chantix, and was off all nicotine sources -- lozenges and patches and vapes, oh my -- by February 20).

Hopefully I'll get the breathing figured out soon.

Friday, June 05, 2020

Libertarian Party Platform Committee Update

Hey, everyone ...

The platform committee's report is in version 4 of draft. I'd say it's fairly well complete. Whether this link to that draft works for the general public, I don't know. It's the link from the "Draft Committee Report" thread on the publicly viewable committee discussion group, so hopefully it does.

Per the current draft, the committee has passed 21 proposals for consideration by delegates to the 2020 Libertarian National Convention.

In my opinion most, maybe even all, of the proposals would bring the party's platform more into line with its Statement of Principles.

Also in my opinion most, maybe even all, of the proposals would make the party's platform more relevant to political and policy discussions in America circa 2020.

Since those are the effects I think the platform committee's proposals should seek, I'm happy with, and proud of, our work and hope that my contributions to that work were helpful.

So, what happens next?

In theory, the 2020 Libertarian National Convention is in hiatus until early July, after a "virtual" session (in which the party's presidential ticket was nominated) and before a "physical" session in Orlando, Florida.

In fact, I think there's some chance (call it 25%) that the Orlando event won't happen at all, or that if it does happen it will lack the necessary quorum, or the credentialing legitimacy, or both, to do business* (call that chance 50% if the event happens).

My initial plans to attend the event were pretty firm regardless of those possibilities, because if nothing else, there are a lot of old friends I'd like to visit with and I've already got some sunk costs (the bare-basics convention "package" and $100 in donations toward rental of a suite where I planned to crash on the floor).

At the moment, my plans are becoming somewhat more tentative, for several reasons:


  1. The rest of my family will be traveling at the same time, to my mother-in-law's memorial service/celebration of life in Illinois (originally scheduled for June, then re-scheduled due to continuing COVID-19-related statism). That makes travel on my  part a little less convenient and more expensive, and also represents some problems and/or expenses vis a vis making sure pets are cared for.
  2. I am not a delegate. I'm an alternate from Florida. Due to a clerical error, it may be difficult for me to get credentialed even as an alternate, and since the event is in Florida, it's unlikely I'd end up with a voting delegate seat. My attendance would therefore be more along the lines of a social outing than a working trip.
  3. I have a chest X-ray to get next week and an appointment near the end of June to learn what the doctor thinks about the results of that and some other stuff (I had blood drawn this morning). My guess is that I'm in the early stages of congestive heart failure, but "quit smoking too late -- lung cancer" seems like a dark horse contender as well. Either one would presumably be yet another co-morbidity that might make me want to avoid likely COVID-19 hot-spots (although I think a third possibility is that I already had it and got some lasting lung damage out of it).
  4. I'm not very happy with the current direction of the party, so it may be time to go do other things instead (and again).
We'll see.

Thanks to all of you who've made it possible for me to serve a second stint on the platform committee.

* The "virtual session" adjourned on a motion that automatically "checked out" all the delegates. If that motion was valid, the convention is over and no business can legitimately be conducted. If it was invalid, the convention can continue, but only if a quorum of 40% of the delegates who registered at the "virtual" convention are present.

Thursday, June 04, 2020

The Main Battle Rifle of the Next Revolution ...

... won't actually be a particular rifle. Rather, it will be a particular ammunition type: .22 Long Rifle.

The ammo is cheap and plentiful, and comes in a variety of configurations for different uses. Easy to stockpile.

The weapons that fire the ammo are cheap and reliable and come in a variety of configurations for different uses.

Wounding an enemy soldier is usually better than killing an enemy soldier because a wounded enemy soldier has to be cared for instead of just buried or left to rot. That forces your enemy to divert people and resources away from fighting you. Smaller-caliber ammo like .22LR is more likely to wound than to kill.

But it can kill, so if you decide you need something heavier, you can kill one enemy with your .22, take his weapon and ammo, and go to town.

The foregoing sermon was not specifically intended to promote the purchase of ammo in a way that generates ammo-buying power on my part too, but now that I think of it ...

Wednesday, June 03, 2020

A Corollary to "Don't Steal -- the Government Hates Competition"

"Law enforcement" is shorthand for "the officially approved versions of looting and rioting."

Tuesday, June 02, 2020

Thanks For Asking! -- 06/02/20

Oh yeah? Really?

Yes, really.

Ask Me Anything in the comments below this post and I'll answer in comments, in a separate blog post, or maybe even by secret carrier spy pigeon.