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.
President Biden has promised that by 2022, the residual American military forces will leave Afghanistan. When that happens, it will complete the trifecta of American failure in its three major wars in the last half century: Afghanistan, Iraq, and Vietnam. Having spent years in Vietnam, when I look back, several causes for our failure there stand out.
I've been thinking a little about China. Of course, all governments lie but to imagine that China cares about you, much less its own masses, would be crazy. At least when the US federal government lies (very often) there are people outside the MSM to notice, and humble websites like ours to report it. Fmr. NY Times Science Editor: Mainstream Media Chose Propaganda Over Research on COVID Origins. Of course they lie.
Our reader Ben David has a good reality check on the Middle East:
Let me save Maggie readers some precious time:
You can safely skip all articles by pundits analyzing Palestinian "strategy". They invariably ascribe to Palis values, motives and perceived best interests that are obvious to Westerners but totally foreign to Muslim/Arab culture.
Everything can be more accurately explained by seeing Muslim culture clearly and unflinchingly.
-The unconcern for home-team suffering
- The lack of anything resembling responsible leadership or stewardship
- The virulent tribal hatred
- The cynical money trail
- none of it is unique to the Arab-Israeli conflict.
And most Western pundits can't get past their own upbringing. Their naive assumption that "they want what we want" hamstrings these articles, and blinds them to the obvious conclusion that Muslims do not value and want what Westerners do. They are not "rational actors" as we Westerners conceive it.
This is true of almost all Western pontification aboit the Muslim world.
Good news of today: No more mask rule in my gym. To celebrate, I did 2 reps of my supposed one-rep max deads. That's what no mask, a dose of enthusiasm, and some iced Dunkin can do for ya.
Many people have been asking me what "testing positive" for COVID means. See today's news on the NY Yankees.
It seems clear that the more people you do nasal swabs on, the more positive results will occur. This virus will become endemic so many, and hopefully most, people will be exposed to it. Like the common cold, or the seasonal flu. Few will get significantly sick from it or even be aware of it.
The point is, a positive test does not mean that you are sick, and, if vaccinated, doesn't mean much of anything other than that somehow you were exposed. Furthermore, there are many (but still really unknown) numbers of false positives.
I think it makes sense to test people who are ill, but not random healthy people unless it is just an academic exercise.
Now you can hardly expect the new New York Times to appreciate the irony of accusing Republicans of being “polarizing” after years of liberals setting women against men, blacks against whites, non-binary people against “cisgender” people; after years of practicing the kind of divisive politics that in other places at other times have caused societies to decline into civil strife. Yet you would think that a seasoned New York Times political reporter, not to mention his editors, would, as part of a journalistic obligation to record the dynamics of modern American politics, add a brief paragraph about how it was in fact the Democrats—in their drive to regain power in the last election—who programmatically turned everything Donald Trump and his allies said and did into polarizing instances of dehumanizing prejudice.
Many people love the freedom of gig jobs. Not just Uber drivers working when they have free time, but also writers, catering staff, bartenders, dog-walkers, retired people wanting to be useful, and a hundred other things.
Government doesn't get it. Lots of people, maybe not most, prefer to work on their own, on their own time. Less security, more freedom. That's an American tradition.
The cicadas are coming — 
Photo: Tabletop Mountain, Colorado, this week
Which Napoleon? 
Image stolen from Ace 