Politics – Page 11 – The Laughing Wolf

Senatorial Request

Given all that is going on, I’ve been on social media and more today when I normally try to take the day off. Thought I would share what I sent my senators this morning (my rep being Carson and totally useless).

Sir,

Given the horrific and devastating terrorist attack against Israel, one that was primarily focused on civilian targets in complete contravention of the Rules of War, I ask that you directly, or working with others, to do the following:

First, that the United States suspend any and all direct and indirect aid to the Palestinian Authority and any and all entities operating or headquartered within the Gaza Strip, be it financial, humanitarian, educational, or other.

Second, that the United States seek to recover any and all funds recently released to the Palestinian Authority and any and all entities operating or headquartered within the Gaza Strip, be it financial, humanitarian, educational, or other.

Third, that the United States Senate note formally and for the record that the actions by Hamas and other organizations with the Gaza Strip or West Bank are in direct contravention of the Rules of War, and as terrorists those engaging in same are not covered by the conventions of the Rules of War.

Fourth, that the United States Senate investigate both the legality and timing of Sec. Blinken’s release of approximately $75 million to the Palestinian Authority and/or other entities located or operating in the Gaza Strip.

Your attention to this matter is urgently requested.

I want the third point on the record for a number of reasons. One or more of these should be part of a post I hope to get up tomorrow or Tuesday. There is a reason the Stasi, formerly the FBI, want to declare the majority of the population as terrorists… Meantime, look to the southern border and then look at what is going on in Israel. Be prepared.

Getting hit by lightning is not fun! If you would like to help me in my recovery efforts, which include moving once we have medical issues cleared up, feel free to hit the fundraiser at A New Life on GiveSendGo, use the options in the Tip Jar in the upper right, or drop me a line to discuss other methods. It is thanks to your gifts and prayers that I am still going. Thank you.

Community Watch Past And Future?

While at O’Banion’s Sunday, a conversation caused one of those “sparks” that brought back a memory from childhood, and has caused some contemplation given this story and other current events. Thank goodness the girl was recovered safe and sound, as it seems to rarely happen that way.

Sunday, the Bartender was expounding forth (not an unusual occurrence), this time on the concept of community in terms of church and neighborhood. I found it interesting that we had similar paths, a decade or three apart, given that I’m a Georgia Boy and he’s a Yankee (grin). His parents had moved from downtown Indianapolis to the suburban wilds of Greenwood (which was not the boom area it is today). My parents did something similar in the early 1960s, moving out of old Macon and into suburbs that literally pushed up against woodlands.

Turns out, we both were free-range kids growing up. Our parents let us out and we got with other kids, explored, played, and did a lot of things that children today are deliberately denied. We walked to the nearby school, we rode bikes all over, all without our parents breathlessly tagging along. Which is not to say we were unsupervised. You and your parents knew the families around you, both on your street and pretty much a street on either side. Now, two streets over was starting to be terra incognita, and on one side that second street over butted up against acres of woods.

So, various mothers kept a watchful eye out and made sure we knew their hose was available so we could stay hydrated. A couple of the nicer ones even offered cookies and snacks (often homemade) on occasion. The moms kept in touch and as such had a rough idea where different groups of kids were and what they were doing.

Then one day, reality intruded. A man tried to snatch a little girl into his car. Kids were yanked into random homes until they could be gotten home or closer to home if they were latchkey. Given the attempt, all kids would be with adults until a parent or parents were home.

Today, I know that some of those moms who came out and got everyone inside were armed. While it was never officially confirmed, it sure did look like a number of dads left work and were driving around as well. Police and sheriffs, who we rarely saw, were out in force as well. The woods were off-limits for a week or three after that, and a much closer eye kept on what little play did happen for a while. Don’t know about the girls, but a number of boys got their first Boy Scout or other knife, or got a new and better one about that time.

The largest threat of such things has always been the creature hiding in the extended family or neighborhood, holding up a fair face to the world to hide the corruption beneath. But kidnapping by a random stranger hits a note that the first one does not. We never were quite as free to free-range after that, but it was still far better than today.

To be honest, Scouting provided a chance to do some of what was taken away via camping and hiking trips. Sad to say, one place we camped and liked we never went to again as it turns out the gunfire we heard breakout at one point was a serial killer taking out a family.

Thing is, both in the recent event and in the one from my past, communities came together. People looked out, looked after each other, and pooled resources. The police got information and tips, and along with some luck and a lot of work, a little girl was ultimately safe in both cases.

Given the deliberate assault on public safety by activist prosecutors and judges, communities are going to have to come together again for safety. It won’t be allowed in the targeted (mostly blue) cities, as those activist prosecutors and judges will be throwing the book at anyone fighting back. But, outside of those areas that have been targeted, it can and will work. Think about it, and it’s a good idea to know your neighbors.

It’s Not About Russell Brand

I really hadn’t paid much attention to Russell Brand, even as a number of libertarians and conservatives began to embrace him as he started speaking out against the narrative. For all that I was surprised and a little pleased that he seemed to be waking up and speaking out, he wasn’t anyone who I was in a hurry to metaphorically embrace.

To be blunt, Russell Brand was a degenerate sleazeball with few or any redeeming values. In point of fact, both he and Jonathan Ross deserve to be stomped into mudholes for any number of things they did. Both should be on their knees giving abject, sincere, and unconditional apologies to the shade of Andrew Sachs and to any and all of his living family — particularly his granddaughter who they attacked and trashed. Not that I ever expect to see either one of them do so, as that requires honor, integrity, and self-honesty; in short, things I think both creatures lack.

According to some, Brand — at least — has turned over a new leaf. I have no direct knowledge, but hope that is true. People can change, both if they want to and — most of all — with God’s help. I do sincerely hope he has done so.

Whether he truly has or not, his departure from the narrative has earned him the ire of his/our “betters.” Our would-be masters, to be quite honest. He has engaged in heresy, and as with the Inquisition of old, he must be punished for going against the dogma of the religion of progressive thought. Make no mistake, it is indeed a secular religion replacing God with the state and singularly lacking in Grace and Mercy. In this theology, no one has died for your sins, and those who sin must be martyred and seen to be martyred both figuratively and even literally. The latter is already here, but will increase in the days ahead.

So, for the sin of going against the new religion of state, Russell Brand is facing a number of accusations in the media over past behavior. While he has acknowledged that his behavior was bad in the past, he categorically denies the worst of these new accusations. What’s important here is not that he is being accused of rape and more; but, that the accusations are being made in and through the media of the state (literally and figuratively) in England. Not in a court of law where he would have at least some rights to discovery, to cross examine, or otherwise mount a legal defense. This is all being done in the media, state controlled media, and what’s more the government is stepping in to ensure he is not allowed to mount a defense. To the point of threatening Americans and American-owned companies.

Enter Member of Parliment Caroline Dinenage who as chair of the “Culture, Media, and Sport” committee of parliment who has taken it upon herself to do everything in her power to deny Brand not just a chance to defend himself, but to even earn a living. A man she has already convicted in her own mind, though she seems to be trying hard to keep this from ever reaching a court of law. According to her, the accusation itself is proof enough of guilt, and to hell with centuries of English law. To get a good idea of her crusade, read this thread including all the letters she’s written.

The fanaticism is clearly evident, and make no mistake it is the fanaticism that has seen innocents burned at the stake, and innocent women and children herded into the gas chambers or into pits to be shot and/or buried alive. Yes, it is my opinion that she shows, in these letters and other utterances, that same level of fanaticism and dedication to the new religion of state. It is my opinion that she would have fit in perfectly with the National Socialists of Germany, and particularly with the Democratic Socialists of East Germany. Her efforts here make the Soviet show trials of the past look like the height of fairness and honesty.

I do hope Russell Brand understands that even if he were to apologize profusely for any real or imagined actions of the past, it will not matter. If anything, it will only make it worse and I suspect Dinenage and others will derive great mental and even physical pleasure from his humiliation and destruction. Without Grace and Mercy, any such apology will only be used as further evidence of guilt and the need to absolutely destroy the target.

Such creatures exist here and we’ve already seen them in action. Long before the Biden Regency conspired to eliminate free speech and other rights, we had and have various movements that thrived on accusations, and proved that many would apologize and grovel even without proof or legal challenge. We’ve also seen the courts and law enforcement corrupted into a multi-tiered engine of the state, and the new religion of state.

What’s happening now is not about Russell Brand. It’s about power and control — over you. Fight back. Refuse to grovel. Pray for them. It all works and is needed. Do not take the knee, but stand. They really can’t handle that and even as they double-down on those who do so, it allows others to stand. Courage is contagious. Spread it.

An Interesting Possibility

Präsident der Republik Grisham has earned two posts here recently (one here and one here) with her overweening arrogance and complete disregard for the Constitution and law. For all that it would be easy to believe the latest act (after all, this is a creature that closed grocery stores as part of overly draconian lockdown restrictions), is just more totalitarian rule, Jeff Goldstein (aka Protein Wisdom) has a different take. One thing I’ve learned over the years is to carefully consider such takes from him.

His take is that the act is orchestrated and meant to fail, for a reason. The idea being to set up a basis to claim or create a federal “right” to such an emergency mandate via the 10th amendment. As he notes, shades of Woodrow Wilson. Progressives are already jumping in to say ‘why not’ do so.

My own hope remains that this gets shot down thoroughly and completely, and that Grisham faces severe official and unofficial sanctions as a warning to others. The cynic in me doubts that will happen, but one can still hope as without such I fear others will only be emboldened. I also hope Jeff is wrong, or that as this issue is being dealt with in the courts, steps can be taken to eliminate any effort to try to do a federal end-run via the 10th.

Oh, two quick things. For those wondering, the title I use for her was the title for the president of East Germany. Seems fitting. For those wondering why I’m not considering NM when I look at moving the the SW, it’s her actions, the simps and gimps of the legislature who went along with them, and the fact that she was voted back into office (similar to human petri dish High Tax Holcomb) by the people who’s rights and liberties she trampled during the lockdowns. No thanks.

Kadyrov Update

Back on August 30, I put up this post about the long knives possibly being out for Kadyrov. I’m still hearing that there are a number of establishment Russians out for him, and that Vladimir is not standing up for him. Today, I see this in the NY Post and have to go hmmmmmm again. If true, repeat, if true, most interesting. For all that he’s long been reported/rumored to have health issues from drug use (and/or other things), given all I tend to wonder about poison. Vladimir is not the only one to use it after all. Remember, if you can’t shoot at the king, shooting at the king maker is a viable alternative.

Don’t Cheer Hunter Indictments

I was going to do a long post on why I think this is not what it appears, but PJ Media has beaten me to it. Worth a read, as well as the linked article.

For some additional perspective, check out Guy Relford on Newsmax (1:19:37 is the chop he posted) and on the Hammer & Nigel show. Sorry, no time chop for the latter.

My short take is that David Weiss has been protecting the Biden’s for years. There is no reason to believe that he will stop being a consigliere (catamite?) for them now.

The Injunction

Präsident der Republik Grisham has been hit with an injunction (full text here) for two parts of her “emergency” public health order setting aside both the U.S. and New Mexico constitutions. I had wondered who would be representing Grisham as the NM Attorney General had come out against her order.

Turns out, Grisham’s office has its own Chief General Counsel, one Holly Agajanian (more here, here, and here (paywall) and it is worth noting she was an assistant DA in the Manhattan DA’s office). Ms. Agajanian was stuck with arguing that the emergency health order wasn’t a law but an executive action, and therefore it was legal for it to suspend the Constitution. In reading the injunction, don’t think the judge bought that but a full hearing will take place in a few weeks where all sides can present full (and new) arguments.

Let me reiterate: this needs to be stomped hard and flat, and Grisham needs to pay a personal price for this outrageous act. If both are not done, I would be willing to bet we will see others trying this tack within a year. The judge needs to make clear this is not allowed and is not to be considered; and, Grisham needs to pay a legal and tangible cost for her high-handed actions. Impeachment and removal from office is a start. She paid no price for her high-handed actions during lockdown, and so feels she will face no consequences for this. For all our sake, and the sake of the Republic, she needs to be mistaken.

Keep an eye on this one, think there’s a lot more going on than is obvious right now.

They Didn’t Learn

And we are likely to pay. The so-called leaders who were the most draconian during COVID faced no sanctions of any kind for their illegal, high-handed, and unconstitutional orders. Heck, most of them have been re-elected despite all the damage they did. Just look at Indiana where human petri dish High Tax Holcomb was sailed merrily along raising taxes, and Boss Hogsbreath, the mayor of Indianapolis who went both missing and Screwloose at different times, is likely going to be re-elected. Look at Reichsgovernor Witmer in Michigan, along with so many more.

The true poster child of the lockdown left, however, was Gov. Grisham of NM. I’m really surprised she didn’t get more of a national stage (which seemed to be her goal) as she not only went full lockdown, but even shut down grocery stores for two (or more) weeks. Let the peasant’s starve! She also took full advantage to regulate liquor and other stores because she could. Where was the principled opposition to her draconian and over-reaching orders? Good question. I haven’t found any significant opposition to her then, or now.

Yes, now. Yesterday, Gov. Grisham declared the 1st and 2nd amendments null and void in the area of Albuquerque over a public health emergency of violence. She is also demanding and/or seizing a lot of info into types of guns, calibers, etc. and may be demanding it of local gun dealers. You don’t go after that info unless you intend to use it.

The Albuquerque chief of police has thanked the governor for her actions, though he has noted in a memo that enforcement will be by state-level resources. In other words, APD is not getting involved with making those arrests or decisions. There are a lot of problems with LE and prosecution in the Albuquerque area, and I leave that research up to you. I used to go out there on a regular basis for NASA, and saw the slide start. You get out from there, and things aren’t bad except for a spineless legislature and a fascist governor. The latter are why I have not looked at NM as a viable location.

A quick note for LE and those working for state and county governments, and not just in NM though they are the audience I hope to reach. I wrote a while back about the need to make decisions, as circumstances are putting people in the position of assisting, enforcing, or otherwise implementing illegal and unconstitutional orders The shadow of Nuremberg is upon us, and you have decisions to make. Will you be a good little servant and do as you are told, and join the ranks of the Stasi and party bureaucrats? Or, will you have the courage, honor, and integrity to refuse even if it means your job, or life? The choice is yours, and I will note that if you refuse to make a choice, you still have made a choice you just don’t have the integrity to admit to yourself.

For everyone else, be aware of who makes what choices. This is a chilling reminder that there are many who will cheerfully and willingly enforce illegal orders. There are even more who will keep the bureaucratic machine running so as not to rock the boat.

The governor, who seems to think she’s the Präsident der Republik Grisham, needs to be removed from office ASAP. I’m not sure what the mechanism is per the New Mexico constitution, but clear violations of the Constitution can’t be allowed to stand. This order and power grab needs an emergency injunction via the Supreme Court as well. Provided that court and others don’t wimp out again and declare that the citizens of the state don’t have standing to question their betters. Also, this does require New Mexico legislators and politicians (or even LE) with a spine and a brain — which seems to be in short supply.

This needs to be dealt with hard and fast, because if it isn’t, she may be the first but will not be the last. Expect to see every power-hungry wanna-be tyrant declare public health emergencies on a similar vein, and they won’t just be going after guns though they will at the start. Remember what has happened to every disarmed population in history… The Biden Regency and imperial governors are also hard at work to destroy the First Amendment, and will use these orders to advance that effort. So, find ways to call this out, to help those who can stomp it hard and fast in the courts, and to hold those abusing power accountable so that they suffer consequences, real consequences, for their actions.

Otherwise, the dark days I see coming will get here a lot sooner than they would otherwise. We’re still in the Golden Hour, but efforts like this, unless met, will erode that hour to uselessness.

Execution

Over at Hot Air, Jazz Shaw has up a post about Alabama’s efforts to use nitrogen for executions. A lot of good food for thought there.

When it comes to executions, humanity has displayed its creativity to excess. Given that the purpose of execution was to make it clear to others not to do X (especially if aimed at the king, etc), any number of very horrific methods were developed. Sawing someone in half with the blade coming up between the legs, drawing and quartering, broken on the wheel, burning at the stake or in an oven, impalement, having molten metal poured down your throat, and, well, you get the idea. In my lifetime, I know of hanging, the electric chair, firing squad, and lethal injection being used here in the U.S. For many years, Russia used a bullet to the back of an unsuspecting prisoner’s head. What goes on in some countries tends to hark back to earlier times.

We moved from the concept of making the death as gruesome as possible to simply having death, and the ability of the state to kill you, as the deterrent. The problem is, our current system makes it about anything but a deterrent. Even with executions being legal (again), the efforts to sabotage the process are well underway. Such efforts are why it is almost impossible for states to get the needed drugs for lethal injection. It’s why several states have opted to reinstate firing squads as an option.

So, Alabama is going to try (or try to try) using nitrogen. The parenthetical is because corporate media and the anti-death penalty brigade of the lawyer’s guild are already fighting against it. Untested, unproven, yada, yada, yada. Except it has been used, fairly extensively, with animals and I remember reading a few years back about an assisted suicide company/euthanasia outfit having some famous designer work with them on a chic portable death chamber where the person inside could watch the world/be in a favorite place as they died from the nitrogen. After all, with nitrogen there is no choking/suffocating sensation, and it’s all rather peaceful.

My own personal take on the death penalty is that I prefer it to happen at the hands of the intended victim on the spot. That’s not always possible, unfortunately. My problem with state executions is that part of me does not like giving the state that power; and, the possibility of a false conviction. It does happen, and if the raft of prosecutors exposed for lying, cheating, and worse doesn’t concern you, it should. Especially in a case where the plaintiff could face the death penalty.

That said, I do feel there are some people who need to be permanently removed from the world for the safety of the world. For all that I do worry about someone who’s innocent being jailed, much less executed, the current system is a joke. When you have a process that can literally stretch out for decades, something’s wrong and you have no deterrence from the penalty.

As for this specific method, I don’t have a problem with it. It works, it’s relatively humane, and it’s something not dependent on big pharma and such. If all goes smoothly, it will be a way to get the system moving again, which is exactly why it’s being opposed. After all, if it does become a deterrent again, crime might drop instead of climbing unchecked. We can’t have that, now can we.

Some Thoughts On Maui And Emergency Management

The disaster on Maui has been years in the making, and has nothing to do with climate change. It has everything to do with incompetence in our elites and power seeking in politics. Emergency Management is not immune to this unfortunately, and I think is headed for a very bad place.

From the start, let me say that I’ve never had to manage a major disaster. For that, I do sincerely give thanks. My first real career job was at a military R&D center, where the office I worked in was part of emergency operations. Got to know the Emergency Management team, and learned a lot working with them. They helped me get our office ready for emergencies with “crash kits” distributed to team members and things we might need electronically stored in multiple places for access at need.

The driver for this was a mishap at the center one night that almost knocked me out of bed ten miles away. A phone call to security resulted in my making a very fast trip in to base, a search for the one crash kit available at the time, and later realizing at the ops center that it needed upgrading and updating. Hadn’t been a priority for my boss at the time, and afterwards I was told to make it happen and do it right as the big bosses were now watching. Amidst all the attaboys for what I did, got a quiet “oh shit” from said Boss who felt that while what I had done had indeed gotten us a lot of attaboys, good exposure, and made the office look good, that it had made him look bad… Ah well, that’s life. Meantime, I became our point person on the incident and recovery efforts.

So, I got earmarked as “that guy” you sent to classes, workshops, and meetings on disaster preparedness and emergency management. That continued in several jobs, and when I served a (sadly abbreviated) hitch in the Indiana Guard Reserve (State Guard, not National) I had fun with a lot of the disaster preparedness/response and emergency management component. Like many, I earned my basic Military Emergency Management Systems (MEMS) badge, part of which included doing all the coursework for becoming an On Scene Commander. Doing the shadowing, practicums, and other to get the advanced MEMS and actually serve as an On Scene Commander was cut short by my aborted embed to Afghanistan and then moving out of state.

To say I have mixed emotions about the FEMA emergency management system is a bit of an understatement. It is very top-down, buttoned up, by-the-numbers where initiative is not really appreciated. When I semi-self deployed all those years ago (Sir, I can’t tell you to come in but…), all but my boss applauded. Today, it would have me sent home and quite possibly up for discipline if not charges. Nothing gets done without the approval and/or order of the On-Scene Commander. Anyone attempting to render aid or do pretty much anything to help those in the declared area that are not fully under the control of Emergency Management will be run off or arrested. I thought at the time there was a lot of “we are the experts and in charge” to the system, and I’ve heard it’s gotten worse.

Thing is, I can understand some of the stated reason for such control. Some of it even makes sense in an active situation, at least to some extent. You don’t want something done to make things worse, or to have people go into areas where they or others could get hurt or killed. That said, it only works if the people in charge are competent, in communication, and on the ball. There are some good people in DP and Emergency Management. They do amazing things. Then, there are others who are not.

I can’t write what I would like to write about the apparent situation with Maui (and Hawai’i) DP/EM. I need to start by saying that years back, Hawai’i DP/EM was on the ball. They had plans and preparations, backups to the backups to the backups, and they practiced and drilled to check and double check. Don’t know if anyone that I might have known is still there, but it sure appears that none of the old school was present in the Maui office. You had a director with no DP/EM experience, and who was proud he didn’t sound the sirens that could have saved lives. You have someone over water who feels it should be revered and worshiped, not used. The failure to activate the sirens and the failure to release the water in a timely manner directly resulted in more than 100 deaths, possibly hundreds. Frankly, they should both already be decorating lamposts as this is far beyond tar, feathers, and a rail.

Nor did it happen by accident. Hate to say it, but at this level, leadership and operations are a political matter. These people didn’t earn the positions; rather, they had to be appointed or otherwise selected through a political process. How else would one get a “leader” who had no background or experience in DP/EM?

Want to know why the official response to the fire is getting so many complaints? EM is the bottleneck, and X, Y, and Z must be done though A, B, and C are needed and available. Bring the Feds into the mix, and it’s like adding concrete to the trickle. Add politics and incompetence to that mix, and, it’s a good thing the Citizens are responding. They see or are told M needs N at O right now, and they get N and take it O without the drama or approvals. Centralized control may be the best option as the disaster is occurring. May. A distributed network is far more responsive and effective in the aftermath.

BTW, anyone willing to take a bet on the lead-up to this? I’m very much reminded of California not all that long ago. Power company forced to spend money on things important to the politicians, not on maintenance and fire prevention. Add in “environmental” regulations that not only did not do what they were supposed to do, but built up the materials that fuel the fires… I will make a cash bet right now that the same thing happened in Maui.

Years ago, it was pointed out by some smart people that if you let natural fires happen and burn, you got a lot less damage and healthier forests. It was tried, it worked, and certain people and groups pitched a fit. So, back to the old way. What happened? Far worse fires with lots more damage. When it comes to areas around people, clear the hazards, keep it maintained, and don’t be stupid. But, all too often, you can’t clear that brush or other hazard, that’s the habitat of the dodderingmealticket. What happens? Disaster.

I’m told that in Maui, which has fires every year, the locals had warned the government that something needed to be done. That the wet spring led to an overabundance of grass and such, and that it needed to be cleared. Nothing was done. Not then, not when it got dry. Not even when they knew the winds were coming. Willing to bet that if anyone had tried to do anything, the government would have prevented it. Now the government is talking about buying up all that prime land. Any bets on how fast it ends up in the hands of the politicians developer pals and donors? Yeah, I am a bit cynical…

I hope all those responsible for this preventable disaster are held accountable. Don’t expect it, but still hope. It’s up to the people to publicize and mock. No, it won’t do a thing to stop them after the fact. It’s not about them. It’s about those looking at this. It’s about making clear to them, particularly the younger, that this behavior is not acceptable and carries a high price. Pour encourager les autres.

In days of old, I would list some groups that did good work helping people after disasters here. Increasingly, I’m hearing, the feds are working hard to keep groups out (at least on the mainland) unless they agree to all the rules and regulations and to be controlled by the government. Not all are playing ball, and I’m not going to list them here. I don’t want to put a target on their back. I will say, research and pick your choices well. There’s a lot of scams, and a lot of roadblocks. Find the ones that aren’t scams and go around the roadblocks. Look for those in the distributed networks who are getting the right things done at the right time in the right place. Those are who you want and need to support.