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.

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Much Sorry with Delays
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Wednesday, March 12. 2025

Wednesday morning links

Markers On The Road To The Green Energy Wall -- Electric Trucks Edition


The Root of America’s STEM Leadership Problem


The Wednesday Potpourri


Trump admin cuts funding to Maine universities as state defies order to ban trans athletes from women’s sports


D.C. Mayor Admitted Budget is Out of Control, Demands More Money


The Educational Cartel: How Randi Weingarten Finally Said the Quiet Part Out Loud


Trump should eliminate Education Department. Get bureaucrats out of our schools.


Nearly Half of Department of Education Employees Laid Off in Reduction of Force by Secretary Linda McMahon


Someone Thought It Was A Good Idea To Ask Kamala Harris To Speak At A Major AI Conference


Ontario Caves to Trump on Tariffs


As Germany Debates Conscription, 'Gender Equality' Means Women Should Be Drafted To Fight (& Die) For Their Country


Ukrainian Group Molfar that Slandered J.D. Vance, Elon Musk, and American Writers and Politicians Is Funded by USAID Dollars


Ukraine agrees to US-proposed month-long ceasefire with Russia

Posted by Bird Dog in Hot News & Misc. Short Subjects at 07:40 | Comments (17) | Trackbacks (0)

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'As Germany Debates Conscription, 'Gender Equality' Means Women Should Be Drafted To Fight (& Die) For Their Country'

Lots of "Oops-a-daisy!" pregnancies beforehand, I suspect.
#1 Maniac on 2025-03-12 09:38 (Reply)
The tariffs on Canada are intentionally being misrepresented by Canada's news and politicians to get votes in Canada's coming elections. The issues are simple and clear but rarely discussed, instead it is posed as though Trump is being unfair to Canada when the truth is the exact opposite. Canada could avoid the tariffs by simply shutting down their own illegal drug factories and by removing their own tariffs on American goods.
#2 OneGuy on 2025-03-12 09:55 (Reply)
Canadian here. You're not wrong. Most of my fellow Canadians have no idea how protectionist we actually are. This is largely due to the ridiculous favoritism that our federal government has given to Quebec as far back as I can remember. China has tariffs on most of our goods and you don't see us losing our collective minds over that. Our media just sees this as a way to get the liberals back in to power again by pushing anti Americanism 24/7. If Carney wins and Poilievre loses we are basically finished as a country.
#2.1 Lord Heathen on 2025-03-12 10:30 (Reply)
OneGuy: Canada could avoid the tariffs by simply shutting down their own illegal drug factories ...

Canada has an active anti-drug and smuggling regime, and only a small percentage of the drugs that enter the United States come from or through Canada. Ultimately, you may want to consider the demand-side of the equation.

Lord Heathen: Most of my fellow Canadians have no idea how protectionist we actually are.

NAFTA and then USMCA "eliminated nearly all tariffs and most nontariff barriers on goods produced within North America." Keep in mind that Trump negotiated and signed USMCA, which he is now reneging on unilaterally. While it is certainly appropriate to renegotiate trade deals as markets evolve, it is not appropriate—or to the advantage of the United States—to denigrate sovereign Canada or to try to bully them before even attempting to discuss any outstanding issues.
#2.2 Zachriel on 2025-03-12 10:59 (Reply)
Canada has been engaging in what could be charitably referred to as "creative compliance". Basically, they allow X quantity in with no tariffs, but after that quota is reached, they impose punitive tariff rates on the excess, sometimes exceeding 300%. Because the rates are so high, businesses exporting to Canada are careful to not exceed the quota, so Canada can then report that they are not collecting any tariffs on the goods in question.
#2.2.1 Another Guy Named Dan on 2025-03-12 11:45 (Reply)
Another Guy Named Dan: Canada has been engaging in what could be charitably referred to as "creative compliance".

That's only on a limited number of products, primarily agricultural. It's not "creative", but an agreed component of the USMCA. The lack of tariffs means products, such as components used in the manufacture of vehicles, can move back and forth across the border as factories specialize for maximum efficiency.
#2.2.2 Zachriel on 2025-03-12 12:28 (Reply)
Of note, the United States subsidizes many agricultural products, creating an unfair advantage, which is partially compensated for by setting tariffs on overproduction.
#2.2.2.1 Zachriel on 2025-03-12 12:34 (Reply)
Why would the country that is winning this war accept a ceasefire proposal like that? It seems to be designed to be rejected, the Ukraine will subsequently lose the war and the United States can deny, by restoring intel and weapons, their share of the blame.
#3 DeGaulle on 2025-03-12 09:56 (Reply)
I don’t know, maybe, as some estimates have it: upwards of a million dead soldiers. How many hundreds of thousands of those dead are Russians? I don’t know. However, the Russians brought in thousands of N. Korean soldiers to bolster their lines. Are hundreds of thousands of dead a good reason to accept peace? Granted, we are talking about Russians, who have a history of not caring about death to their conscripts.

Maybe, if the EU would have quit buying Russian gas, Ukraine and their supporters would have better leverage. Maybe you disagree with Secretary Rubio, is there a military solution to the conflict?

I’m hoping for peace. I hope you are too.
#3.1 B. Hammer on 2025-03-12 10:29 (Reply)
I don't think it can be clearly said that Ukraine is decisively winning the war. When you look past the headlines, all of the gains by both sides are being measured in meters, not in km. It's a meatgrinder, and, unfortunately, Russia has more meat to feed into it.
Despite all the claims of this being a new kind of war, you just can't take or hold land with a drone or a missile, no matter what the warhead.
#3.2 Another Guy Named Dan on 2025-03-12 11:04 (Reply)
I know the picture, that was placed in the header of the STEM article, isn’t supposed to be a visual representation of STEM problems, but it’s not far off. And it made me laugh. No doubt in my mind, women can be just as intelligent, and innovative as men. However, the correlation between young boys being raised by females only, doesn’t escape my notice. Let’s face it, the females in academia are mostly gung ho for feminism. And feminism doesn’t really care, cater, or cultivate STEM. Feminism cultivates discord and hate.
#4 B. Hammer on 2025-03-12 10:45 (Reply)
QUOTE:
Wednesday Potpourri ...

12 billion dollars was allocated to the Navy for submarines and not one submarine was built.
42.5 billion dollars was allocated to hook people up to high-speed Internet, and not one single person was hooked up to high-speed Internet.
7.5 billion dollars was allocated to build EV charging stations. Only 37 stations were built. Thats 200 million per charging station.

All of those projects are on decade-long timelines.

QUOTE:
Burke has already spent 500 days in prison, and the Irish Courts are now punishing him further. This is horrific.

Burke was not imprisoned for his use of pronouns, but for willfully breaching a High Court injunction to stay away from a school.
#5 Zachriel on 2025-03-12 11:12 (Reply)
"Burke was not imprisoned for his use of pronouns, but for willfully breaching a High Court injunction to stay away from a school."


Well, they had to shut him up somehow, didn't they?





"All of those projects are on decade-long timelines."

Always the best policy when dealing with ephemeral. ever changing technologies.
#5.1 SK on 2025-03-12 12:30 (Reply)
SK: Well, they had to shut him up somehow, didn't they?

He could have talked elsewhere, instead of willfully defying a High Court injunction to keep away from the Wilson's Hospital School, a school for children to continue their studies while in hospital. The claim that he was jailed for his beliefs is false: He was jailed for his actions.

SK: Always the best policy when dealing with ephemeral. ever changing technologies.

Perhaps, but that wasn't the claim.
#5.1.1 Zachriel on 2025-03-12 12:50 (Reply)
QUOTE:
Wilson's Hospital School: Our school maintains a distinctive Church of Ireland ethos, fostering Christian practice and teaching, promoting dignity and respect for the individual and committed to the provision of a caring family atmosphere in which education can flourish... Wilson’s is an inclusive, co-educational day and boarding school and serves the needs of all who come to be educated here.
#5.1.1.1 Zachriel on 2025-03-12 12:59 (Reply)
Correction on E trucks *(Tesla semis) charging time and range:
Charge time is 30-45 min;
range 500 mi.

Most drivers need a break (probably all drivers) at 500 mi (about 8 hours driving).
A 30-45 min charge gives time for coffee and a restroom; or for a meal.
Tesla Electric trucks good for medium to long hauls. For local deliveries, the Cybertruck !

But TEsla; Support Musk; support trump
for $1,000 off, use this link: http://ts.la/nathan6755.
#6 ns on 2025-03-12 12:45 (Reply)
Oh boy--why has it taken the "media" so long to notice how bad our schools and universities have become? With regard for K-12 Private schools, or charter schools only--keep the teamsters out of the classroom!!

With regard.to our universities: It has become an embarassment for us when we attend academic conferences out of country. Many, many times we have joined a "room" to hear a particular speaker on a particular subject. Almost always the most popular speakers, i.e. the most highly regarded intellectually are from a foreign country. These are the people who have something new to say within their specialty. What is embarrasing is this; when the next speaker steps up to the podium "to give her paper",if she is from an Amerian University at least half of the room disappears . It's not because she is female, but rather she has nothing important to say about the subject being examined. It can also be male American speakers--they are no longer running with the front of the pack either!
#7 faculty wife on 2025-03-12 15:02 (Reply)

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