Tired, But Better
Mom's out of surgery. The surgery was unrelated to her symptoms the other night, which seemed like a heart attack but turned out to be a prescription interaction.
Happy Day.
In other news, I have been visually contemplating everything I've eaten the last few days.
One of the Scarier Interviews I've Seen
Brett Weinstein, a world renowned biologist, has been looking at the migration through the Darian Gap. Here he is interviewed by Tucker Carlson and reports what he saw firsthand, his conclusions and he hypothesizes some genuine grade-A high-octane nightmare fuel. It's an hour and 12 minutes.
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I just asked 'If we leave the borders open, won't that allow Russian Spetsnaz troops into the US?'
The question rises since the Dems and Austrian Republicans have now given us the false choice of either leaving the border completely open or Ukraine will lose.
Posted by: cxt217 at Mon Feb 5 21:21:10 2024 (ZLF73)
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Most likely, Spetsnaz and PRC cognates have been here for years.
That biology professor in (IIRC) Philadelphia who was murdered in 2020 looked to me like it was probably a PRC operation.
I could simply be wildly paranoid on that point.
That said, southern border has been a security disaster for decades. The known knowns have been concerning for a while. IE, civil war, failed nation, and a bunch of criminal states. Known unknowns include the question of how many of our nominal politicians are cartel employees.
Legislature could easily still screw us, but there are even a few signs of optimism there. Mainly, it seems like the Republican 'leadership' does not understand what they can deliver, and the Democrats are ignorant of that.
Posted by: PatBuckman at Tue Feb 6 19:29:01 2024 (r9O5h)
The Panda-Girl Cooking Challenge!
Join us to night @ https://www.twitch.tv/brickmuppet at 7:30pm EST/12:30 am UTC as we continue to try to learn to play Genshin Impact. Tonight we're trying to finish the panda-girl cooking challenge...No...wait...I mean....we're NOT cooking Panda-Girl. She's a celebrity chef and we're helping her cook...and there is a time traveler....WHAT EVEN IS THIS GAME!?
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I recall a Filk (Not Hype Eyre) that was something like "Minus ten and counting" referring not to liftoff, but the number of lives we will have to give up to achieve man's dream in space. It was not saying it wasn't worth it, but more that it was a necessary sacrifice that should be honored.
Posted by: Mauser at Sun Jan 28 21:46:18 2024 (nk1Z+)
Surprise!.... ZOMBIES!
Check out https://www.twitch.tv/brickmuppet tonight @ 9pm EST / 2am UTC for an unscheduled Project Zomboid stream. Come, stop by, say "Hi!" point, laugh, and make "useful" critiques of my gameplay as I celebrate finding my keys (no really) as well as my first payout from streaming! ( I am now officially an internet celebrity!)
Holy Crap!
If the Orthodox Patriarch and the Catholic Pope each took a dump in the same chamber pot, it would still not warrant the phrase "Holy Crap!" as much as this does.
And it might stink less.
So: "Powerful People Back East" are willing to pay a populist large amounts of money to back out, and make oblique references to 'The cartels being active in every state' when she says no. Given the bloodbath happening across the Rio Grande that's a VERY specific reference.
My thoughts on Trump have already been stated, but this is actually the sort of thing that his supporters can rightly point to that justify their forlorn clinging to him in hopes of stymieing, in some way, undeniably malevolent forces in our leadership cadre.
As I stated before, I don't think their trust or hope is justified, but, if, as now seems to be the case, I find myself voting for him in November, I'll hold my nose a little less tightly as I figuratively piss in the wind.
Streaming at the Intersection of Scuff and Cringe
Join us tonight @ 7:30pm EST / 12:30AM UTC for a gaming double feature as I make yet ANOTHER attempt to finish Phantom Brave. Then grab a drink and a snack, sit down, point, and laugh as I make ANOTHER attempt to not suck in Genshin Impact! Drop by @ https://www.twitch.tv/brickmuppet and say "Hi!"
The governors of at least Oklahoma, Florida, and Virginia have said they are backing Abbot on this. There are currently National Guard contingents from 12 states helping the Texas National Guard secure their border. I believe Governor Youngkin is in Texas at the moment meeting with the V.A. National Guard Troops on deployment in the state.
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Yes. I suspect the powers that be in DC think this would be another incident like the Littlerock Nine. I think this would go very differently if they try to follow the same script. Too many people, even in Democrat states (which are socialist Red, not Blue thank you very much!), feel that the border situation has gone too far and want a solution. They won't have public support on this.
Posted by: StargazerA5 at Wed Jan 24 22:31:14 2024 (r9lDC)
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This issue is not even a little bit complicated - the international border is a federal responsibility. It is the federal government, and only the federal government, who has jurisdiction at controlling and protecting the borders, essentially from foreign invaders (Some of whom are ACTUAL bad guys, like Hezbollah and Al Qaida.), and definitely from people breaking federal law. There should be no state involvement in taking over border protection, except as assistance to the federal government.
Yet we have a federal government that not only refuses to enforce border protection, but is involved in transporting illegal immigrants into the country! At this point, Biden et al are actually violating their oaths to the Constitution, but no one cares because Trump!.
I do not see any good way for getting out of this issue. The Supreme Court was right in their decision, but Texas has just told the court and the rest of the federal government to go pound sand. Federalizing the Texas National Guard, like some people suggested, will just lead to all sorts of different issues and that is not getting into the rank incompetents that now populate the military flag ranks.
Posted by: cxt217 at Thu Jan 25 17:30:38 2024 (ZLF73)
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Have to wonder what they're thinking, why THIS is the hill Biden wants to die on.
Posted by: Mauser at Thu Jan 25 23:57:29 2024 (nk1Z+)
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DC as a whole (the Bureaucrats, Biden, The Dems, and the Country Club wing of the Republicans) are being pushed by business interests on this. We saw, when Trump substantially reduced the illegal immigration at the border, that it cut off the flow of below market price labor, forcing wages up. Business desperately wants a massive increase of cheap labor to backfill what Trump stopped to keep a cap on wage costs and meet need going forward. In addition, with the Boomer population buldge retiring and the following generations not being large enough to fully replace them (not just in US but in much of the world), businesses understand that if they can't stuff the pipeline of labor full of people now, in a few years unemployed labor is going to become so scarce that labor will have negotiating power they haven't seen since before the Industrial Revolution.
This realization that the elites are about to lose a lot of the bargaining power they've had for the last few centuries is driving a significant chunk of their desperation.
Posted by: StargazerA5 at Fri Jan 26 08:59:02 2024 (EqqLc)
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cxt217: "This issue is not even a little bit complicated - the international border is a federal responsibility."
If only it was that simple. Sure, Texas cannot fashion or implement it's own border policy. It can't set up it's own border crossings, it can't set up an additional customs stations right behind the federal one and apply additional screening, etc. But it can certainly limit access to state property, and it can certainly defend itself using the state guard from invasion. Those are actually declared and delegated rights and permissions in the federal and state constitutions. The Constitution of the United States would not have been ratified if the states did not retain the right to defend themselves, and this is not speculation, there are actual essays, discussions, speeches etc on the topic in the Library of Congress and other places.
So, the Governor of Texas has looked at the fact that the Cartels, which are certainly an armed force of a foreign nation, are operating in the territory of Texas. The state of Texas can, and should, ask the Federal government for help in this matter, but it is not forced to subjugate itself to that response.
The State of Texas can also seek to control access to state property. There are of course places all over the country that are protected by fences and guards and it is a city, state, or federal offense to enter that property without proper permission. And again, this is state property and the federal government has no real say in the matter.
But expressing it actual legal terms, one of the central arguments will be made is the difference between law and policy. Federal law supersedes state law where they are in conflict. But does federal policy, which is just created by unelected administrators, supersede state law? In this case, the state and federal laws are actually in agreement. The feds are actually by law supposed to be detaining anyone not in the country with legal permission. But as a matter of policy, they are not doing so. If the state chooses to align itself with federal law, but not federal policy...
The problem here from a judicial perspective is that the designed resolution to this is that Biden should have been impeached and removed from office long since over this. It's not really a matter designed for the judicial branch to resolve.
Posted by: David Eastman at Fri Jan 26 13:45:15 2024 (R7Z4D)
Being Gawky & Grinding Gracelessly in Genshin
Stop by the Twitch Channel and say "Hi!" then , point, laugh, and mock me at 7:30pm EST 12:30am UTC as I derp around in Teyvat and try to improve my DPS as I flail around in Genshin Impact.
Oh NO! Dev Tries to Take on James Lindsey in an Internet Argument!
Poor Dev!
Did you write your will?
You fool!
You pathetic naive fool!
We will miss you!
Oh.
Wow.
Good show Dev!
Dev stop! He's already dead.
I like James Lindsay....a LOT. He is brilliant and a treasure. However, I really think Devon Delvechio wins this argument.
Is communism dreadful? Yes.
Is it an outgrowth of Liberalism? Also yes.
Are there issues that make liberalism susceptible to hard leftism? ALSO YES!
Anything open to new ideas is vulnerable to those ideas if they are parasitic or just bad. Any philosophy completely closed to new ideas is stagnant and signs its own death warrant. Caution, and vigilance are needed when pursuing truth, and denying a crazy relative is related to you does not deal with their crazy.
We're Gonna Try Again!
Tonight @ 7:30pm EST / 12:30am UTC We're Going to try and finish PHANTOM BRAVE! If we don't : We. Be. GRINDING! If, somehow, we do beat it: We'll play some GENSHIN! Join us for all the inept gaming and a first look at the new emotes that Twitch finally approved @ https://www.twitch.tv/brickmuppet
Schedule Change:
We're going to be starting a bit late tonight. I'm pushing the Stream back 30 minutes because The FF14 updater is not updating and I can't boot the game at the moment. If I can't get it working in the next 45 minutes, we'll just play Genshin. In any event we'll be doing SOMETHING involving a video game @ 6:30pm EST/ 9:30pm UTC. It will probably involve ignominy on my part so be sure to come by so you can point and laugh @https://www.twitch.tv/brickmuppet
Hobby Space News of the commercial space industry A Babe In The Universe Rather Eclectic Cosmology Encyclopedia Astronautica Superb spacecraft resource The Unwanted Blog Scott Lowther blogs about forgotten aerospace projects and sells amazingly informative articles on the same. Also, there are cats. Transterrestrial Musings Commentary on Infinity...and beyond! Colony WorldsSpace colonization news! The Alternate Energy Blog It's a blog about alternate energy (DUH!) Next Big Future Brian Wang: Tracking our progress to the FUTURE. Nuclear Green Charles Barton, who seems to be either a cool curmudgeon, or a rational hippy, talks about energy policy and the terrible environmental consequences of not going nuclear Energy From Thorium Focuses on the merits of thorium cycle nuclear reactors WizBang Current events commentary...with a wiz and a bang The Gates of Vienna Tenaciously studying a very old war The Anchoress insightful blogging, presumably from the catacombs Murdoc Online"Howling Mad Murdoc" has a millblog...golly! EaglespeakMaritime security matters Commander Salamander Fullbore blackshoe blogging! Belmont Club Richard Fernandez blogs on current events BaldilocksUnderstated and interesting blog on current events The Dissident Frogman French bi-lingual current events blog The "Moderate" VoiceI don't think that word means what they think it does....but this lefty blog is a worthy read nonetheless. Meryl Yourish News, Jews and Meryls' Views Classical Values Eric Scheie blogs about the culture war and its incompatibility with our republic. Jerry Pournell: Chaos ManorOne of Science fictions greats blogs on futurism, current events, technology and wisdom A Distant Soil The website of Colleen Dorans' superb fantasy comic, includes a blog focused on the comic industry, creator issues and human rights. John C. Wright The Sci-Fi/ Fantasy writer muses on a wide range of topics. Now Read This! The founder of the UK Comics Creators Guild blogs on comics past and present. The Rambling Rebuilder Charity, relief work, roleplaying games Rats NestThe Art and rantings of Vince Riley Gorilla Daze Allan Harvey, UK based cartoonist and comics historian has a comicophillic blog! Pulpjunkie Tim Driscoll reviews old movies, silents and talkies, classics and clunkers. Suburban Banshee Just like a suburban Leprechaun....but taller, more dangerous and a certified genius. Satharn's Musings Through TimeThe Crazy Catlady of The Barony of Tir Ysgithr アニ・ノート(Ani-Nouto) Thoughtful, curmudgeonly, otakuism that pulls no punches and suffers no fools. Chizumatic Stephen Den Beste analyzes anime...with a microscope, a slide rule and a tricorder. Wonderduck Anime, Formula One Racing, Sad Girls in Snow...Duck Triumphalism Beta Waffle What will likely be the most thoroughly tested waffle evah! Zoopraxiscope Too In this thrilling sequel to Zoopraxiscope, Don, Middle American Man of Mystery, keeps tabs on anime, orchids, and absurdities. Mahou Meido MeganekkoUbu blogs on Anime, computer games and other non-vital interests Twentysided More geekery than you can shake a stick at Shoplifting in the Marketplace of Ideas Sounds like Plaigarism...but isn't Ambient IronyAll Meenuvians Praise the lathe of the maker! Hail Pixy!!
