Category Archives: News and Notes

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An Understandable Shift

25 Saturday May 2019

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All things 1860’s “Civil” War are losing the interest of an increasingly vapid public.

FORT OGLETHORPE, Ga.—Is Civil War tourism history?

Once a tourism staple for many Southern states and a few Northern ones, destinations related to the 1860s war are drawing fewer visitors. Historians point to recent fights over Confederate monuments and a lack of interest by younger generations as some of the reasons.

The National Park Service’s five major Civil War battlefield parks—Gettysburg, Antietam, Shiloh, Chickamauga/Chattanooga and Vicksburg—had a combined 3.1 million visitors in 2018, down from about 10.2 million in 1970, according to park-service data. Gettysburg, in Pennsylvania, the most famous battle site, had about 950,000 visitors last year, just 14% of how many it had in 1970 and the lowest annual number of visitors since 1959. Only one of these parks, Antietam, in Maryland, saw an increase from 1970.

When Louis Varnell opened a military-memorabilia store near Chickamauga Battlefield here in the 2000s, he had several competitors. Today, his store is the only one left. Only about 10% to 20% of his sales are Civil War-related; he mostly sells stuff from World War II or other conflicts, he said.

Read all about it.

It may be that subconsciously the sheeple begin to suspect that the next civil war is much closer, temporally, than the last one. Tick, tick, tick…

Time to Ban Suitcases

24 Friday May 2019

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Past time, in fact. A random suitcase launched a terror attack in Lyon.

A nail bomb device detonated in the central Victor Hugo Area around 5.30pm local time.

A man, thought to be in his 30s and wearing a mask, reportedly dropped it in a suitcase outside a bakery.

Cops are now hunting him and have since launched a terrorism probe, the French prosecutor has confirmed.

Ban nails, masks, bakeries, and local time, to be saaaafe. Ban “men” too, as long is the “man” turns out to a member of the gilets jaunes or some other white nationalist outfit. Jail somebody at le Monde for safe measure.

Failing the IQ Test

22 Wednesday May 2019

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We know Western IQ averages are falling, plummeting. I’ve covered it. Vox Day covers it. Stefan Molyneux covers it. Dutton and Woodley own the topic. In a sloppy bit of journalism, even NBC dives in.  At least they didn’t print thewell-worn “the average IQ is 100” statistical fallacy. But, they dance all around the issue, ending with something about climate change (shock!).

Ultimately, it’d be nice to pin down the precise reason IQ scores are dropping before we’re too stupid to figure it out, especially as these scores really do seem connected to long-term productivity and economic success.

Two primary reasons: 1) Smarter native people in the West aren’t having enough children (if they have any at all), and; 2) immigrants from lower-than-average countries keep having more children. No time, today, to explain mean regression, why smarter native people aren’t breeding, why not-so-bright natives are breeding, etc. Read “At Our Wits End” by Dutton and Woodley if you can’t already grasp the obvious (if you  work for NBC for example).

This stuff matters  mightily if you care about things like societal stability, electricty, abundant food, and indoor plumbing. If not, then pop a pill and chill out with the glowing screen on the wall (while it still hase power and programing).

Between the Lines About Between the Sheets

20 Monday May 2019

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This story from the Guardian says much, though maybe not as Rose George meant to say it; even more lurks by implication, starting with the title picture.

We owe a lot to the sex lives of Greeks. Ancient Greece gave us the origins of the names and concepts for homosexuality, homophobia and nymphomania, as well as narcissism and pederasty. The Romans talked freely to each other in toilets and were equally community-minded when it came to sex, with a reputation for lasciviousness and orgies. Georgians, we believe, were smutty, and Victorians were prudes and hypocrites. (All of these are partial truths.) We like to use sex as a mirror of an era, and to make judgments accordingly. What then, are we to make of us right now?

This is the most sex-positive age ever, right? We are liberal and comfortable with sex like no other people have ever been. Our magazines publish articles on how to get on better with your clitoris. Porn is freely available (and accessed by teenagers). Erotic books are bestsellers, however badly written. TV broadcasts shows in which the contestants are naked, or have sex in a box, or make a sex tape on camera. If sexual choice were a shop, it would be a hypermarket, with dizzyingly long aisles of every possibility: straight, gay, bi, trans, poly, fluid, each with its own culture and each widely accepted.

In this sex-positive version of reality, we have been unleashed from the bonds of church and religion, and suffocating family expectation; we are free, and we’re enjoying being easy. …

She goes on to admit, without seeming to understand the connections, that all of this liberalism just ain’t that sexy. Maybe, just maybe, the libertine isn’t of liberty. Maybe there really was something to social, religious, and family constraint. Maybe waiting until the well’s almost dry to have a family, just in time to care for elderly boomer parents who spent all the money, while working two or four jobs just isn’t natural. It would be called the “Dys-Gen Hypermarket, where Civilization ENDS!”

And hold on Rose; though we seem to be catching them, there were once twin kingdoms which outpaced our depravity – until one night around 1,700 BC.

Extremely Scary America

16 Thursday May 2019

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The (presumable) descendants of the men who met the British at Bunker Hill and Lexington are frightened by a flock of birds…

Sometimes nature can get a little too close for comfort, and sometimes that’s due to wild turkeys. We saw a tweet Monday about just that from someone who lives in the Moss Hill section of Jamaica Plain.

She complained about aggressive turkeys pecking at people out walking. We checked it out, and found that she’s not alone.

…

“It’s just gotten to be terrible that I’m fearful to go walking with my grandchild in the stroller. I’m actually fearful to go walking on my own,” Kathy says.

Wild animals are usually under the jurisdiction of the state wildlife agency. We reached out to that department, but they didn’t respond.

One if by land, and two if … OH SHIT! A turkey! Run! Big State, save uuuuuuss!!!

Dear LAWD, Kathy, you’re in Pilgrim-land. Just grab one and cook it. The rest will observe and move on. Fear. America is rank with it.

But, not when it comes to things that really should inspire at least a little trepidation. When it comes to the largest invasion in recorded human history, Americans are blind, stupid, or stupidly, blindly unconcerned.

The latest Harvard/Harris Poll reveals that when Americans are asked how many illegal aliens are arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border, only about 13 percent answer correctly. Meanwhile, about 76 percent of Americans believe illegal immigration levels are vastly lower than they actually are.

For example, there were nearly 100,000 border apprehensions in April, alone. This puts illegal immigration at the southern border on track to outpace every year of illegal immigration under former President Obama and take the U.S. back to Bush era levels. At current rates, experts project there to be 863,000 border apprehensions this Fiscal Year, though this only counts illegal aliens who are caught at the border and does not include those who successfully cross.

Those are the apprehensions, again, and not the total of all illegal entries. Then there are the “legals.” Bush Error levels. Innumerate, civic nationals can’t be bothered with reality. Unless it’s turkeys in the yard. Then, it’s an emergency. Maybe we could have the scary birds guard the wide-open border?

 

American Collegiate Restoration

15 Wednesday May 2019

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Dr. Walter Williams, once again, examines the failings of American higher education. He reviews a new book on possible restoration.

For the high cost of college, what do students learn? A seminal study, “Academically Adrift,” by Richard Arum and Josipa Roksa, after surveying 2,300 students at various colleges, argues that very little improvement in critical reasoning skills occurs in college. Adult literacy is falling among college graduates. Large proportions of college graduates do not know simple facts, such as the half-century in which the Civil War occurred. There are some exceptions to this academic incompetency, most notably in technical areas such as engineering, nursing, architecture and accounting, where colleges teach vocationally useful material. Vedder says that student ineptitude is not surprising since they spend little time in classrooms and studying. It’s even less surprising when one considers student high school preparation. According to 2010 and 2013 NAEP test scores, only 37% of 12th-graders were proficient in reading, 25% in math, 12% in history, 20% in geography and 24% in civics.

A quarter-century after the fact, I almost – almost – question the collective wisdom of the University of Georgia. It’s almost like technology worship and diversity uber alles isn’t the answer. Dunno,maybe it’s bigger athletic budgets.

A Couple of Things: The Neocons Dream of an Iranian War; Hellywood Hating on Georgia, and; MUST READ Civil War Fiction – From TPC

14 Tuesday May 2019

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A Couple of Things: The Neocons Dream of an Iranian War; Hellywood Hating on Georgia, and; MUST READ Civil War Fiction

Greetings, beloved readers, near and far! It’s a busy time of year, policy and news-wise. Join me and we will explore two of the more interesting, if not alarming, topics of the recent cycle, followed by an excellent literary recommendation. This trio I found more tantalizing than little Benny’s BBC meltdown (poor wuttle Trotskyite snowflake), the unchecked flood across the Southern border, the new baby Royal, Trump’s trillion$ trade Tweet, social media either spying on or banning everyone to the right of AOC, and whatever happened concerning the coming GREAT QUADRENNIAL BLACK MASS. Here goes,
Cometh an Iran War?
The crazies that still have us fighting unwinnable, undeclared wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Yemen, Libya, Sudan, and one-third the rest of the world, aren’t happy about the way Russia checked U.S. imperial aggression in Syria. They’re really upset that the same thing happened in Venezuela, even as most Americans still can’t find that country on a map. Now, they want to go for the prize, the country they’ve been eyeing since 1979. Actually, THE Prize is Russia. But, for now, this week, Iran will serve as a good proxy.
Unlike with Iraq and Afghanistan, now they’re not even floating lies to justify the adventurism. They’re just doing it. Those who still wonder about things like this are left to wonder: Is it about oil? Are they blaming terrorism in [fill in the blank]? Did Seeing Eye Netanyahu order it? Is this for the benefit of our “friends” in Saudi Arabia? Could Goldman Sachs or Raytheon be in the red? Economic diversion? Another refugee source?
We may never know. Leaks, hints, and what passes for news, to some degree, kind of support all of my ponderings. For instance, we’ve heard rumors of Iranian plots against unspecified American interests in the region. Those, for some strange reason, remind me of the promise of Saddam’s Yellowcake, minus any semi-plausible specificity.
As is, we’ve got some big, tough words from some small, stupid men. The USS Lincoln steams towards the Persian Gulf. A task force too. A B-52 squadron. Patriot missiles. Etc. It’s almost like they’re gearing up for war. If so, will it be another of the splendid cakewalk variety? Could it be yet another endless quagmire complete with a Toby Keith ballad? Or, could this be the one in which Russia takes Uncle Sam behind the woodshed? We may soon know.
Meanwhile, a little closer to Covington,
The Devil Wants Out of Georgia
For as long as the neocons have dreamt an invasive slaughter of ancient Persia, the leftists have made slaughtering unborn babies (now, born ones too) one of their signature issues. Their “Holy” day is January 22nd (1973), the date on which the Supreme Court said murdering babies was a-okay. (I do not refer to the Supreme Court as “The Nine” for nothing).
Great was the consternation amongst the communists when some States began rolling back a few of those rights of women to choose (to murder), began to (GASP!) declare that living human babies are in fact just that. You know, little human beings with some rights of their own. You know, like the right not to be chopped into bits, vacuumed up, and sold to vampires. Last week, Governor Kemp signed Georgia’s Heartbeat Bill to that effect.
The ghouls of Hollywood, every last one of them degenerates, are not happy. And, they’re threatening to take their drugs, their STDs, and their child-molesting ways and leave town. All I could think to say when I heard the news, was, “Good!” Then again, being one to shun movies, television, and other forms of Satanism, I didn’t really know that Georgia had a film industry to abandon. You do, it seems. They want to control “your” Gold Dome and, if you don’t let them, they’ll leave.
A long list of celebrity garbage figures, none of whom I had ever heard of, issued a variety of condemnations, threats, and dire warnings. In particular, an outfit called “Killer Films” no longer considers Georgia a viable shooting location. Okay … if these killers can’t shoot at little babies, they’re going back … to hell? Sound good to me! Get out and take the rest of the trash with you!
I understand that some Georgians reap financial benefit from the salacious propa-tainment industry. Would you rather keep the money at the risk of your kids and the sovereignty of your State? I know, I know … Ain’t no time fer such questions. Gotta go see Endgame! (Ironman dies!) If you’re of the world, then by all means, keep supporting the catamites and demons. If you are merely in the world, then stop supporting those who hate you. Reject their “cool” films, “funny” shows, “dope” lyrics, and the rest of it. Ditch the fake and the obscene for the real and the beautiful. Remember, to have a heartbeat, you’ve gotta have a heart.
And, one finds battalion-level strength heart in,
A Fatal Mercy, The Man Who Lost The Civil War by Thomas Moore
The novel opens with high honor and hard truth, about the War and about the human condition. It also addresses more important issues:
“Doc Craven has ordered me to give up drinking, and Nellie won’t let me chase women. If I have to give up cigars too, then I might as well be dead.”
– Chapter Two, A discussion among the FitzHenry boys.

READ MORE AT TPC

Facebook’s Constitutional Convention

13 Monday May 2019

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To all the libertarians and conservatives, who from time to time make mention of an Con-Con, please have a gander at what Farcebook is doing:

All that said, serious concerns remain. For example, how might a 40 person board adequately represent the concerns of the thousands of groups across the globe? How might a set of “universal” rules address the significant disparities in belief and practice by the billions of people who use or will soon use the platform? How might a company firmly committed to American ideals not end up exporting those ideals, or enforcing such social values over and against smaller states? It’s a dizzying miasma of problems for which solutions are not merely difficult to find, but perhaps impossible.

That difficulty seems inherent to what Facebook is actually doing: in essence, writing a constitution for the global moderation of speech. That it is doing so at all is a recognition of what is at stake on its platform. Yet, sitting and listening to Facebook dutifully receive and genuinely listen to feedback, the absurdity of the situation was also hard to ignore. Here was a private company with historically unprecedented reach trying its best to do the right thing, in which the “right thing” was to find the right way to govern speech on the world’s largest democratic platform. It is indicative of the fact that the company is a kind of supra-state unto itself, significantly more powerful than most countries across the globe, and with enormous influence.

This is what you might reasonably expect, regarding Article Five: a group of anonymous, SJW control freaks trying to impose “American values” – what those are, outside of usury, sodomy, and obesity, isn’t clear – on everyone, everywhere, under every circumstance.

Get off social media. Get off the Parchment.

The Devil Wants Out of Georgia

11 Saturday May 2019

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Friends in Georgia: the immoral, useless, and downright evil slugs of Hellywood want to govern your State. If you won’t let them, they’ll take their marbles and retreat back to Sodom and Gomorrah West.

Hollywood has been outspoken against a controversial Georgia abortion law, and now the heads of three production companies are saying they will not film in the state.

Christine Vachon, chief executive officer of Killer Films; David Simon, creator of “The Wire” and “The Deuce” who heads Blown Deadline Productions; and Mark Duplass of Duplass Brothers Productions have come out in opposition to a newly signed law that would ban abortions in the state if a fetal heartbeat can be detected.

Georgia has been the location for the filming of multiple television shows and blockbuster films, including one of Marvel’s biggest hits, “Black Panther.”

Such films and the production of wildly popular TV series including “The Walking Dead” and “Stranger Things” have resulted in an estimated $2.7 billion pouring into the Southern state from direct spending via 455 productions, the governor’s office announced last year.

Filmmakers J.J. Abrams and Jordan Peele released a joint statement Friday stating they’d stand “shoulder to shoulder with the women of Georgia” as their new show “Lovecraft Country” begins shooting in the state. They promised to donate 100% of their episodic fees to the ACLU of Georiga and Fair Fight Georgia, an election reform organization.

“Governor Kemp’s ‘Fetal Heartbeat’ Abortion Law is an unconstitutional effort to further restrict women and their health providers from making private medical decisions on their terms. Make no mistake, this is an attack aimed squarely and purposely at women,” the joint statement read. “We encourage those who are able to funnel any and all resources to these organizations.”

On Thursday, Vachon, whose company has been behind such films as “Carol” and “Vox Lux,” made her stand known on Twitter.

“Killer Films will no longer consider Georgia as a viable shooting location until this ridiculous law is overturned,” she said.

Of course, “Killer” Films wants to keep killing Georgia babies. To hell with them. Really, who in his right mind cares what these savages say about anything. Let them go. Hell, they should have – yeah, yeah, I know the GA GOP is money hungry – added that to the law: “…and all television and movie production companies are henceforth barred from the State…”

Join me in permanently boycotting everything that appears on the larger and smaller screens – unless it comes from a verified Christian source. There’s a reason that the actor set has been scorned by the civilized, as a bunch of idiots and degenerates, for millennia.

And, Cut!

Anything Girls Can Do, Fake Girls Can Do Better

11 Saturday May 2019

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This really could be the end of women’s sports. But, at least we’re getting a better picture of the SJW social hierarchy. Trans “girls” top real girls. Get that straight – no pun intended.

When two high school athletes who were born male but identify as female took first and second place at Connecticut’s girls indoor track championship this year, it wasn’t just a local news story.

To some, it was a story of triumph and courage. The winner, a junior from Bloomfield High School, set a girls state indoor record of 6.95 seconds in the 55-meter dash, and went on to win the New England titles in both the 55-meter dash and the 300-meter dash.

To others, it was a story of shock and disappointment: Is this the end of women’s sports?

To Selina Soule, a 16-year-old runner from Glastonbury, it was personal.

A junior, Selina missed qualifying for the 55-meter in the New England regionals by two spots. Two spots, she said, that were taken by biological boys.

Had the boys who identify as girls not been allowed to compete, Selina would have placed sixth, qualifying to run the 55 in front of college coaches at the New England regionals.

Instead, she placed eighth, watching the 55 from the sidelines after qualifying in only the long jump, an event in which the transgender athletes didn’t compete.

“It’s very frustrating and heartbreaking when us girls are at the start of the race and we already know that these athletes are going to come out and win no matter how hard you try,” Selina told The Daily Signal. “They took away the spots of deserving girls, athletes … me being included.”F

While the debate over transgender athletes and fairness is complex, the situation in Connecticut has brought forth another complicating layer: Plenty of parents and high school girls appear to object to the participation of biological boys in girls sports, but fearing public bullying and backlash, they’re not speaking out.

Publicly, at least.

The stakes of remaining silent are high: Policies are being formed in real time at the local, state, and federal levels regarding transgender individuals, student athletes, and sports.

Most prominently, on March 13, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi introduced HR 5, the Equality Act, a bill that would add “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” as protected classes under federal civil rights law.

The legislation would create a civil right for male athletes to self-identify as females at any time, critics say, without any evidence of physical changes to their bodies.

Private schools. Private sporting leagues. It’s past time to hop off the dead popular and “legal” culture. With this issue, second place is dead last.