Maggie's Farm

We are a commune of inquiring, skeptical, politically centrist, capitalist, anglophile, traditionalist New England Yankee humans, humanoids, and animals with many interests beyond and above politics. Each of us has had a high-school education (or GED), but all had ADD so didn't pay attention very well, especially the dogs. Each one of us does "try my best to be just like I am," and none of us enjoys working for others, including for Maggie, from whom we receive neither a nickel nor a dime. Freedom from nags, cranks, government, do-gooders, control-freaks and idiots is all that we ask for.

Our Recent Essays Behind the Front Page

Much Sorry with Delays
Birth, Death and All That Stuff in Between
How to Honor Labor Day, Every Day
My Yom Kippur Miracle (Repost from 2010)
Good intro to fly casting
Peach update, with pie
NYC update
Easy for you to say: To the elites on mass immigration
For NYC on 9/11, Sailors' Snug Harbor
Pickled Peaches
Water Shoes
Labor Costs in U.S.
Your "identity"
Good news about The Great Courses
Uses of Hot Pepper Jelly/Sauce, Chutneys, and Jams
A Saturday Drive to Litchfield County, CT
How to Pick a Kayak
Civilized: Fruit forks and knives
Loads of kayaking on Cape Cod
Psychology Experiments' Questionable Results

Categories


All categories

Quicksearch

Links

Blog Administration

Open login screen

RSS Readers

Add to Google

Subscribe with Bloglines

Friday, May 26. 2023

Friday morning links

 Photo: Our Siberian Irises are in bloom


Daily flights, NY to the Faroe Islands


Mrs.BD would love that 


 At High School Debates, Debate Is No Longer Allowed. At national tournaments, judges are making their stances clear: students who argue ‘capitalism can reduce poverty’ or ‘Israel has a right to defend itself’ will lose—no questions asked.


Kotkin:  Can California Be Saved? Though the state retains great advantages, bad policies accelerate its decline.


 TGIF: Cruising for a Bruising - Canadians say yes to death. South Koreans say no to birth. Plus: DeSantis, flat-earthers, a Citi Bike Karen—and Bezos’s amazing love boat.


VDH:  The Left Has Pushed the Envelope. Why are our government, corporations, and popular culture colluding in mass suicide—to the delight of our enemies like Communist China?


OK, but I don't think China is an enemy 


 U.S. NEWSGreenwald: Regime Journalists Promote The ‘Right’ Conspiracy Theories To Be Successful “Journalists who spread conspiracy theories that the CIA wants them to spread get promoted, and the journalists who question the conspiracy theories of the CIA get destroyed.”


We all live in a world of lies 


 Want to be a Seattle firefighter Lt.? Best know your woke reading list!:



...  in 2021, local officials including Scoggins commissioned a report on diversity in the fire service. One of its recommendations: avoid tests that “rely heavily on knowledge of firefighting.”


“[T]ests that focus on how well applicants know the system and the job tend to favor those who make up the overwhelming majority of the fire service workforce, white men,” the report says. “Questions that ask more about the candidate’s character and values, rather than knowing the ins and outs of the job, can be beneficial in advancing more women and people of color.”


"..rather than knowing the ins and outs of the job"?  That has zero to do with skin tone.

NY:  ‘Right-to-shelter’ off-ramp is long overdue


 Why no one will learn the lessons from "Citi Bike Karen" fiasco


5 black kids tried to steal her Citibike. Wrong narrative 


 New York Office Buildings Emptying Out


But rentals are high, along with tourism 



 Germany Is Turning Against The EU's Green New Deal, Common Sense To The Forefront


 The World Realigns

Posted by Bird Dog in Hot News & Misc. Short Subjects at 06:51 | Comments (24) | Trackbacks (2)

Trackbacks
Trackback specific URI for this entry

PingBack
Weblog: thedaleygator.net
Tracked: May 26, 20:25
PingBack
Weblog: thedaleygator.net
Tracked: May 26, 20:26

Comments
Display comments as (Linear | Threaded)

VDH: Smart, wonderful and insightful and he and many on my side of thought and morality are absolutely blind to the real war, the real enemy and those that are fighting and winning this battle to defend and restore Western Civilization. Psycops on both sides, this is a mostly non-kinetic war of lies, information and narratives. People love to laugh and dismiss Q, but if you have not done a true and complete dive into it, you are absolutely ignorant to the forces at hand. If something does not make sense, (like why has the US accumulated suffocating and deadly debt) and you don't have a good answer, then there is something very important you don't know. There are so many things that don't makes sense and as I have done the work, I understand much of what is working beneath. The defenders of this nation and the Constitution will win and there are shocking realities to be revealed. Xi and Putin are not enemies.
#1 Joe Wicker (Link) on 2023-05-26 08:28 (Reply)
The Good Guys are building a proper parallel currency right before your eyes. Gold Standard, not more Fiat, no more Western Central Bank, no more corruption and blackmail. No more inflation theft by centuries old Euro evil. BRICK nations building, China too. When we reestablish lawful government we will usher in our new currency. No debt as fraud makes contracts void. No money No power. Deep State dies. Remember this post two years from now. BANK.
#1.1 Joe Wicker on 2023-05-26 10:52 (Reply)
I don't know what you consider China, if not an enemy. But, it doesn't really matter. China considers us an enemy. If someone considers you an enemy, those are the terms on which you will need to deal with them.
#2 jack walter on 2023-05-26 09:09 (Reply)
SCOTUS unanimously rules against 'home equity theft' after states seize homes over back taxes · American Wire News

QUOTE:
The Supreme Court ruled unanimously in favor of a 94-year-old Minnesota grandmother named Geraldine Tyler who had her home seized by the state because she owed $15,000 in back taxes and then sold it for $40,000, keeping the proceeds rather than giving them to the owner… that’s called “home equity theft.”

“A taxpayer who loses her $40,000 house to the State to fulfill a $15,000 tax debt has made a far greater contribution to the public fisc than she owed,” Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in a majority opinion published on Thursday. “The taxpayer must render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s, but no more.”

https://americanwirenews.com/scotus-unanimously-rules-against-home-equity-theft-after-states-seize-homes-over-back-taxes/
#3 feeblemind on 2023-05-26 09:17 (Reply)
Apparently the real case is worse than reported. The woman owed about $2300 in back taxes but then had some $15,000 in penalties and interest added to the debt. So the county seized her one-bedroom condo and sold it for something like $43,000 but did not refund her the difference. However, it turns out that the condo was valued at close to $100,000 so someone got a deal and the question is now qui bono?
These seizures and sales are apparently not uncommon in the USA, with cities and counties benefitting hugely. There is also a question as to who is buying said properties, and at what price.
We're not perfect here in Canada but do know that - in our city - one can make an agreement with the city to defer taxes until the property is sold. So the senior gets to stay in his/her home until finally has to move and the property is sold. At that time, the city gets first claim on the proceeds for back taxes plus interest (only fair; I've had to pay up front), but there is no similar confiscation of money over and above what is due the city.
#3.1 Frances on 2023-05-27 01:00 (Reply)
BD: "We all live in a world of lies"

Maybe that's why you think China is not an enemy.
#4 Hairless Joe on 2023-05-26 09:21 (Reply)
"We have always been at war with Eastasia."

China wants to be (or is) a global power for money, etc.

What's wrong with that?
#4.1 BD on 2023-05-26 09:33 (Reply)
China, the government and as a policy, is trying to disable our private, government and military high tech systems. That is happening right now, not some theory or future plan they are actively putting harmful software in our computer systems. The just a few days ago simulated an attack on a U.S. carrier group where they sink the carrier and the other ships in the group. The list of these aggressive offenses goes on and on. They are not our friends and they intend to at some point in the future go to war with us.
#4.1.1 OneGuy on 2023-05-26 10:02 (Reply)
If that's all they did, it would not be a big problem. Competition, we can stand. But the problem is, they cheat: They steal technology, bribe politicians, and use slave labor. The latter, at least, they have the "delicacy" to keep as well hidden as they can, while they lecture the rest of the world on the virtues of non-interference. That allows comfortable Westerners such as yourself to pretend it isn't going on. Plus, as others have pointed out, they have a zero-sum view of economic development: Their gain must come at a cost to others; therefore, they view us as an enemy who must be humbled (at the very least).

All that is enough to make them an enemy as far as I'm concerned. YMMV, and BTW Joe Biden would no doubt agree with you.
#4.1.2 Hairless Joe on 2023-05-26 11:23 (Reply)
"The result was a series of new alliances, between Russia and China and Middle Eastern countries, one that was designed to circumvent the American sanctions."


Is this the case of a doddering old man and an inept administration - or is it the extension of the Obama doctrine, founded on a deep and abiding dissatisfaction with Americanism?

"At national tournaments, judges are making their stances clear: students who argue ‘capitalism can reduce poverty’ or ‘Israel has a right to defend itself’ will lose—no questions asked."

It's a double-hit: A condemnation of capitalism, yes, but also, an instructive moment on modern American education: Teaching our brightest that there is no Free Speech, and there are people watching from a position of authority.
#5 Aggie on 2023-05-26 09:45 (Reply)
When I watched the video of the nurse and the "teens" I saw multiple crimes. Theft, the young man sitting on the bike she paid for was stealing it from here. He was invading her space physically pushing here out of it; assault. I assume these young men were arrested and will be charged. But I'm not holding my breath.
#6 JustMe on 2023-05-26 10:05 (Reply)
Even foreign blacks are finding African Americans tiresome.

Unapologetic Jamaican vacation rental owner says she will no longer allow black Americans to stay at her property: "They fight with each other, they're disrespectful, they're entitled".

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/05/unapologetic-jamaican-vacation-owner-says-she-will/
#6.1 indyjonesouthere on 2023-05-26 12:36 (Reply)
After Covid, if you don't think China is an enemy you're profoundly stupid.
#7 Bill McKinney on 2023-05-26 10:29 (Reply)
I said Xi. McKinney you are lame. CCP and PRC are two different things. Corruption is the enemy. Xi has jailed or eliminated over one million CCP.
#7.1 Joe Wicker on 2023-05-26 10:43 (Reply)
Reverse the races in the Marine vs. Michael Jackson impersonator case and the Marine would be lauded as a hero - which, by the way, he is.
#8 Maniac on 2023-05-26 10:30 (Reply)
China is definitely an enemy of Western Civilization, just look at how many Western elites they have convinced that central planning and rule by experts can beat the free market and the wisdom of crowds. Justin Trudeau's admiration of their basic dictatorship is much more common than Milton Friedman's Capitalism and Freedom. It's hard to accept that spontaneous order is a thing, much easier to believe that somebody is in charge of things. It's even more comforting to insist that malevolent forces rule the world than to insist that nobody at all is in charge.
#9 Jerryskids on 2023-05-26 11:50 (Reply)
There is definitely a realignment in diplomatic and trade relations. I still think Trump was the only president of all the boomer presidents that understood and adapted to the new alignments.
Most all of the confrontations are over trade and safe borders. Trump promoted and established fair trade with China and anyone else that wanted trade agreements and was not afraid to use tariffs. Clinton stuck his nose into the Yugoslav conflict, bombed Serbia, and created Kosovo out of thin air. That conflict is still raw in Europe. Bush and Obama couldn't produce any resolution to the middle east because neither could ever define success and even the Obama regime fomented trouble in Egypt and Libya interfering in internal matters. All the while the presidents continued moving on Russian borders and weaponizing Ukraine. This country simply cannot keep itself to its own business. It has become a bully empire determined to
meddle in everyone's business and simply pissing everyone off.
We have become what we always disliked in other governments, rash, overbearing, thuggish, spiteful, and finally, disruptive.
#10 indyjonesouthere on 2023-05-26 13:16 (Reply)
I very much agree.
#10.1 DeGaulle on 2023-05-26 16:39 (Reply)
Best Putdown of 2023:

"Hey, did you buy your Bud Light at Target?"
#11 Zachinoff on 2023-05-26 13:38 (Reply)
Schumer Slams ‘MAGA’ SCOTUS After 9-0 Vote That Reins in EPA

QUOTE:
The case centered on Michael and Chantell Sackett, two Idaho residents whom the EPA prohibited from building a home near a wetland years ago, citing the Clean Water Act (CWA) of 1972.

“The EPA ordered the Sacketts to restore the site, threatening penalties of over $40,000 per day,” Alito’s majority opinion stated. “The EPA classified the wetlands on the Sacketts’ lot as ‘waters of the United States’ because they were near a ditch that fed into a creek, which fed into Priest Lake, a navigable, intrastate lake. The Sacketts sued, alleging that their property was not ‘waters of the United States.'”

The ruling ultimately held that the federal government’s WOTUS definition must be restricted to a water source with a “continuous surface connection” to major bodies of water.

The court split 5-4, determining “how the federal government should go about defining water sources.”


https://legalinsurrection.com/2023/05/schumer-slams-maga-scotus-after-9-0-vote-that-reins-in-epa/
#12 feeblemind on 2023-05-26 14:01 (Reply)
The democrats are realizing this is not the FDR packed court. Academic/political social justice will lose its mind or at least what is left of it.
#12.1 indyjonesouthere on 2023-05-26 14:39 (Reply)
I just hope the present makeup of the court is still in place when the first reparations bill actually passes.
#12.1.1 Galway Boy on 2023-05-27 09:14 (Reply)
re VDH: The Left Has Pushed the Envelope

Corporate America Has Launched A Religious War. Pick A Side.

https://thefederalist.com/2023/05/26/corporate-america-has-launched-a-religious-war-its-time-to-choose-your-side/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=corporate-america-has-launched-a-religious-war-its-time-to-choose-your-side
#13 feeblemind on 2023-05-26 14:58 (Reply)
"Canadians say yes to death."

This Canadian has not said yes to death.

I'm disgusted with those who support and advance our euthanasia policy.

We might just as well amalgamate the medical and veterinary professions in Canada now.
#14 JJM on 2023-05-26 20:45 (Reply)

Add Comment
(Your e-mail will not show in your comment)

By commenting on this site you agree to the site rules listed here. Email
addresses will not be displayed and will only be used for email notifications.

Quick reference guide: [i] italics [/i], [b] bold [/b], [u] underline [/u],
[url] (web address) [/url]. More tips here.

Enclosing asterisks marks text as bold (*word*), underscore are made via _word_.
E-Mail addresses will not be displayed and will only be used for E-Mail notifications.

To prevent automated Bots from commentspamming, please enter the string you see in the image below in the appropriate input box. Your comment will only be submitted if the strings match. Please ensure that your browser supports and accepts cookies, or your comment cannot be verified correctly.
CAPTCHA

BBCode format allowed
 
 
A Chris Southern Consulting website.