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Maggie's FarmWe 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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Thursday, April 17. 2025Thursday morning links
‘Colonial dysphoria’ causes ‘distress’ for minority students, professor says Teen Drowns In Rip Current At A South Florida Beach During Annual Spring Break Tourism Surge Ocean swimmers need to know People with intellectual humility tend to handle relationship conflicts better, new study finds Are Foreigners Entitled To The Same Protest Rights As Natural American Citizens? Harvard’s president rejected Trump’s demands. Here’s how other university leaders have responded to the White House AI Bot Flips Wall Street on Its Head Guardian: The Blue Origin flight showcased the utter defeat of American feminism Karmelo Anthony’s family adds a new ride to list of luxuries they’re buying after raking in hundreds of thousands of dollars under pretense of ‘legal defense’ Tax Day Truth Bomb: Where Your Climate Dollars Really Went Trying To Figure Out How Much Of The Government Grants Goes To Left-Wing Causes And Propaganda UK Supreme Court Rules A Trans-Woman Is Not A Woman "' New York Attorney General Letitia James — who infamously declared that “no one is above the law” when she was targeting Donald Trump — was hit with a federal criminal referral for instances of alleged mortgage fraud on Tuesday, according to a letter obtained by The Post" Cody Balmer’s firebomb attack on Pa. Gov. Josh Shapiro driven by antisemitism, ‘what he wants to do to Palestinian people’ More by mental illness, it seems You'll Never Believe What Slow Learners the Democrats Are Democrat Sen Chris Van Hollen Suffers Humiliating Rejection After Flying to El Salvador to Meet with Alleged MS-13 Gang Member Abrego Garcia Donald Trump is right to think of Greenland as an area of potentially dangerous vulnerability for the U.S. "It Doesn't Fit In With Dutch Culture!" - Conservative MPs Call For Ban On Amplified Islamic Calls To Prayer JD Vance: My message to Europe is America doesn’t want a vassal continent Is Civil War Coming to Europe?
Tuesday, December 31. 2024Tuesday morning links"We had just walked into the fentanyl lab when the cook poured a white powder into a stockpot full of liquid." "... it is now clear that Net Zero is doomed, that the western world will Teachers Will No Longer Need To Pass Basic Reading, Writing And Math Test For Certification In This Blue State How Jonathan Haidt Won the Fight Against Smartphones in Schools FDA Rewrites its ‘Healthy’ Foods Guidelines for First Time in 30 Years Nobody knows "healthy". We do know that starvation is bad Taibbi: Thankfully, Some Things Never Change. A few reflections on an extraordinary year, as we give thanks and burn the Yule log Celebrating The Death Of Woke And The Resurrection Of Common Sense The Only Real Winners Are The Trial Lawyers "Civilizations Die From Suicide": Here Are 16 Signs That Our Society Is Doing Exactly That Was Jimmy Carter really a good guy? Steve Davis, Elon Musk’s Go-To Cost-Cutter Is Working for DOGE Impressive VDH: Devin Nunes Reemerges. 2024 marked the comeback of figures once ZERO Airtime to Pics Showing Biden Lied About Hunter Biz Biden’s Only Regret Was Not Prosecuting Trump Hard Enough Who the Hell is Running the Country? Staff Musk Pens Pro-AfD Op-Ed In Major Paper; Editor Resigns WSJ Declares Progressive Moment Is Over -- Globally Monday, October 21. 2024Like chicken?I've been off chicken since my nasty experience with Campylobacter a year ago. Not rational I know, but I do not want to go through that hospital adventure again. Chicken Is Not a Healthy Choice. Chicken products contain cholesterol, carcinogens, and contaminants In retrospect, I don't think chicken was much more than a protein vehicle for the added flavors. Well, except for Southern Fried Chicken.
Friday, October 11. 2024Friday morning links More this weekend. I blame climate change. Research supports run–walk interval training as a way to reduce chronic low back pain Why Stephen Hawking gave up on a Theory of Everything - The scientist who gave up on truth Konstantin Kisin talking to the Woke about Climate Change The Biggest Climate Whopper Ever Told Scientific American Article Claims There’s No Difference Between Male, Female Athletes. An Disinformation Isn't The Problem... Government Coverups And Censorship Are The Problem Why Ta-Nehisi Coates Hates Israel 'Anti-Hate' Art Exhibit In LA Featured Participants Kicking Around Donald Trump's Head Elon Musk Steps Up Again-Accelerates Starlink Access for Hurricane Milton Victims #WTH We are [almost] all colonizers. A short recitation of facts Faculty Required to Report “Misgendering” Can I say "You throw like a girl"? TGIF is amusing today She is right: Do not f- with Appalachians Good News: AOC Offers Her Opinion On Hurricanes And ‘Climate Change’ Kamala Harris Says She Owns a Handgun—Despite Fighting To Ban Others From Doing the Same Kamala’s ‘Charm’ Blitzkrieg Fails Miserably Catherine Herridge Spills the Tea on CBS Over Kamala Interview Editing Scandal Megyn Kelly: The Panic Amongst Left-Wingers About The Loss Of Control Of Information Is Evident Did the Biden Administration Perpetuate Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine? What Was Gained by the Ukraine War? The Ukraine–Russia war has dragged on for at least two years longer than it had to—and for what? Friday, January 26. 2024What is Maggie's Farm? We (and "we") has changed plenty over the years. I spose our vision - if there was one - has been to be an eclectic site. Yes, we try to have a daily bulletin board of interesting and/or timely items, but we don't aim to "cover the news," whatever that means. It can look like a conservative site, but it's intended to be more contrarian. Traditionalist. Skeptical for sure - always because the world is full of BS and propaganda and always was. When the MSM is riding some ideologically-motivated, politically-biased hobby horse, we like to offer other views. Sometimes rightly, sometimes in error, but I still think our perspectives are mostly rational and skeptical. I do appreciate all of the people who send me links to use. That's good, but it would be fun to have more voluntary writers. People do get worn out by it over time and, if it's no longer fun, why bother? Simpler just to email links to the Editor - little ol' me. As best I can tell, several millions of people look at our site each year from all over the world (blocked in China I think but not in Norway). That is cool, but there is no vision of what we want to be or become - if anything. Never made one penny from this hobby, and some think that is stupid. Maybe, but I never made a penny from playing tennis either but when I played well, Mrs. BD noticed... If you have plenty of good content, Substack seems like a place to offer it these days. Getting crowded though. Lots of competition in the arena of public affairs but not many sites love Farmall tractors. Yeah, always loved our old Farmall except on steeps. Little scary on steeps - not built for our New England hills.
< Monday, October 2. 2023Monday morning links
The health debate that will not go away - Recent warnings on artificial sweeteners are the latest in a series of scares, but the industry says sugar substitutes remain a vital weapon in the fight against obesity and diabetes. ‘Ridiculous’ Is the Word Real Estate Appraisers at Palm Beach Are Using To Describe the Value Being Put on Mar-a-Lago by Judge in Fraud Case Against Trump Gen Z unable to comprehend cursive Kindergartners In diapers: A growing trend The satire site Babylon Bee’s fight against New York’s insane online speech law is not funny Lefty censors stifle free speech in high school debate, classrooms He, She, They: The Pronoun Debate Will Likely Land at the Supreme Court Free Speech and Anti-Semitism at the University of Pennsylvania Duke’s female-only scholars program constitutes sex discrimination, civil rights watchdog says Bodega clerk Jose Alba sues Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg, NYPD for racial discrimination "Here's What's Really Going On": Elon Musk Livestreams Southern Border Chaos "These Morons Are Pushing Us Towards WW3": Sunak Backtracks After UK Defense Chief Wants To Send British Troops To Ukraine Tuesday, August 29. 2023Tuesday morning links
Need a $480 t-shirt? Live worm found in Australian woman's brain in world first ‘I Have a Dream’ + 60: Dr. King would be proud of America’s progress What Is Emotional Intelligence? No Masks, Please, We’re Rational. Maskaholics are incorrigible. The rest of us should pay them no heed. Sam Quinones: Drug Addiction Driving "Homeless" Crisis. University of California, San Francisco Spreads Disinformation About Causes Of Street Addiction Crisis Some fun at Wide Awake Media A Conservative Billionaire’s Unrestricted Gift to Harvard Those awful paper straws? They might kill you Robo-Forklifts That Can't Get Sick Nor Unionize Hit Warehouse Floors Free Speech Suppressed Everywhere You Turn UK police investigate wrongthink Democrats Have Broken America: Where’s the Outrage? Times Square back to the bad old days: ‘It’s a sh-thole’
Jemele Hill Labels Nikki Haley Racist for Suggesting Indian-American Kamala Harris Is Incompetent Project Veritas v. James O’Keefe: Parties “engaged in productive discussions to attempt to resolve this case” Washington power company raises rates to cover increased expense due to climate legislation—AG's office instructs them not to tell consumers reason for higher prices ‘Legal’ concerns halt NIH $154 million ‘false information’ program US-Ukraine Brass Write off Counteroffensive After 57.000 Casualties, Focus on Force-Drafting New Conscripts for 2024 Wednesday, June 7. 2023Wednesday morning links
Purple haze. It's blocking out the sunshine, and causing itchy eyes When Not to Treat Cancer - Taking a rational and statistical approach to a diagnosis can lead to better choices about treatment—which in some cases might mean not treating cancer at all. Southern Poverty Law Center Adds Parental Rights Groups to ‘Hate Map’ When and How to Respond to Microaggressions Judge Says ‘GenderIdentity Is Real,’ Blocks Florida Law Banning Minors’ Transitions Irish Farmers Raise Alarm Over Government's Proposal To Kill Off 200,000 Cows Potential For Catastrophic US Electric Grid Failures This Summer A Reality - A reliability assessment of the nation’s electrical grid shows increasing potential for blackouts during heat waves. Coal-fired power plants, the report states, are being retired before enough new generation sources are being put on the grid. Divesting from Big Oil Is an Empty Gesture. California lawmakers want the state’s public pensions to get rid of fossil fuel stocks, claiming that will help save the planet. Who are they trying to kid? Two of San Fran's largest hotels are bailing out Target has been funding woke group that wants to close 'symbol of white supremacy' Mount Rushmore, demilitarize the US military and impose sanctions on Israel Killer MS-13 gangsters are being bused into our communities as ‘minors’ Karine Jean-Pierre mocked for complaining migrant bussing puts strain on cities: 'Weapons-grade hypocrisy' Monday, May 15. 2023Monday morning links
Remember how virtuous you felt when you were tooling around town in your anti-virus mask? Sorry vegans, a major health organization says meat, eggs and milk are vital sources of 'much-needed nutrients' The real reasons stores such as Walmart and Starbucks are closing in big cities Gay conservative professor suspended after handing out Jeremy’s Chocolate during event Is This Why Transgenderism Is Exploding in American Public Schools? Economist: The economics of thinness - It is economically rational for ambitious women to try as hard as possible to be thin It helps for men to be fit too Losing Control of Our Own Country Week at Legal Insurrection Biden at HBCU: White supremacy is the most dangerous threat to our homeland Homeless vets are being booted from NY hotels to make room for migrants The madness of Biden’s beyond-surreal border mess will only grow as Title 42 ends Since when do illegal alien invaders get priority over needy Americans? Newspeople: Deal with Trump on the issues California Facing $32 Billion Deficit as Leftists in the State Call for $800 Billion in Reparations FIRST THING, LET’S FIRE ALL THE TEACHERS Monday, January 2. 2023Fitness Nonsense, and Healthism
For example, they make the point that exercise is, generally, useless for weight loss. Weight is nutritional - period. There surely are genetic effects on body architecture and maybe even on satiety-signalling. Is exercise useful for cognitive functioning? Dubious. Also, the point that the current thing about "lots of fruits and vegetables" is nonsense. Food is not medicine. Nothing wrong about those things though as long as you do not think of them as magic. Fitness goals, I agree, are primarily about feeling good, maintaining functionality and vitality, and looking good for as long as possible. Those make life better. 6+ hours/week is good. I stand by the Maggie's Fitness for Life program: Weights, calisthenics, and cardio. With a little luck, it might slow your fate in a wheelchair.
Tuesday, May 24. 2022Tuesday morning links
Canadian university pulls LGBTQ poster after Muslim community complains Graduation Week With Common Sense. What happens on campus doesn’t stay on campus. HSBC Suspends Head Of Responsible Investing Over 'Nut Job' Climate-Alarmist Comments Woke Capitalism’s Tragedy of the Commons - Woke capitalism is rational, but it is also unsustainable. Secretary Hillary Clinton and the Deep State: A RICO Criminal Conspiracy Saturday, February 12. 2022The UkraineIt's a manufactured "crisis." The US, excepting the Biden's corruption, has nothing to do with the Ukraine. Here's a rational view: Why Washington Has Lost Its Mind Over Ukraine
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Monday, November 8. 2021Monday morning linksAre U.S. playgrounds too safe? Native American Lawsuit Challenges Colorado Ban On Native American “Mascots” As Discriminatory Climate Change Hysteria, circa 2004 NYT Urges Biden: 'Why Not' Force Americans to Pay Higher Gas Prices to Fight Climate Change? What the AMA says:
Let’s face facts. There is nothing historically un-American about election skulduggery. (h/t, American Digest) What is early voting all about? Ivy League Analysis Destroys Biden’s Entire Argument for Multi-Trillion-Dollar ‘Build Back Better’ Spending Plans Monday, May 24. 2021MulticulturalI'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:
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Wednesday, April 28. 2021Michael Schellenberger: A rational guy
He is certainly right about the problems with fire suppression. Fire is good. He is also right in pushing nuclear energy for any number of reasons.
Sunday, January 17. 2021The electoral college, etc.
But everything political ends up being power plays. It's a game, and a rough one because careers, money, power, and status are involved. Also, ideological passions which tend to be about power anyway. Politics in the US is not pretty and never has been. What's The True Agenda Behind The Movement To Abolish The Electoral College?
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Wednesday, January 13. 2021Wednesday morning links
Florida puts New York to shame in rational pandemic policies Defying common sense, Andrew Cuomo’s crazy vaccine rules bring ‘chaos’ End Covid Now - Use our existing vaccination channels with broad distribution to stop the pandemic. Ignore the Teachers Unions and Open the Schools. “Keep the schools open,” said Anthony Fauci. Barbara Boxer, Now Formally Working for China Wikileaks files: Forwarding from Western Rifle. You might want to forward as well. Bawer: What now? Terrifying times lie ahead. From October, How I Switched From Never-Trump To Never-Biden ANTIFA Forces Portland Book Store to Stop Selling Andy Ngo’s Book About ANTIFA Uganda Blocks FaceBook and Twitter To Block The Tech Monopolies' Power to Interfere In Their Elections; Twitter Bizarrely Declares That the Free Flow of Information over the Internet is Critical During Elections World Leaders Denounce Big Tech Censorship of President Donald Trump National Association of Realtors Bans Free Speech President Trump Takes a Hit for the Team At Taki:
Trump Campaign Official Denied Entry into TV Studio for Interview — Told He’s On a “List of People They Won’t Allow In” PBS Top Lawyer Says Gov Should Build 'Enlightenment Camps' And Remove Children From Trump Supporting Homes Orwell vs. Big Tech The Democrats Will Go On Impeaching Trump Forever. Welcome to the permanent anti-Trump party. Book: Formula for Failure in Vietnam: The Folly of Limited Warfare By William Hamilton Friday, January 8. 2021A Dose of RealityHopefully calm will be restored as the nation moves back toward some semblance of whatever it is we consider 'normal' for the last 9 months. I hope things continue to improve as we move out of the Covid scare and fear mongering (yes, Covid is real, I had it as have many friends, but no it's not so bad for 95% of the people who get it). If we can move past all this, my job opportunities may improve. Then again, who knows? I know few of you are on Facebook, but I am (or was). It allowed me to reconnect with friends and family and it's a useful tool. I've also shared Maggie's articles there with my friends, and met many other people who I share interests with. I am well aware of the privacy issues, but I know how to navigate them (part of my everyday job) and manage them effectively. There is, however, one thing I can't manage. It's the real problem we're facing today. It's the reason I deactivated my Facebook recently (after letting people know how they can reach me if they want/need to). I am aware of many HR Departments doing sweeps of social media to find things out about people. I have heard several stories of pro-Trump people losing job offers. This doesn't surprise me at all in NYC today. The shift here has been significant from not just hating Trump to full-fledged belief that anyone who supports him is a deranged psychopath. I have never been a Trump supporter, but that doesn't mean anything because I've never hated him, either. It's best to hate him with the passion of a thousand suns in order to win approval with many organizations today. I haven't loved him, haven't hated him, I've merely tolerated him, and realized his persona was a massive problem but that he was accomplishing some good things. I was for honesty and balance of thought and reason. Today, you can't be that way. You have to be a true believer, or at least not come across as a believer of "the other side". In other words, it is almost a requirement to be Progressive to be "acceptable". Such is the nature of modern definitions of Diversity - be like us or you're not acceptable. I'm all for Diversity. Diversity of thought, and respect for other views, without accepting the enforcement of those views on others by law, social shame, or other means of behavioral modification (brainwashing via education, for example). Continue reading "A Dose of Reality" Tuesday, October 6. 2020Tuesday morning links
MIT Scientists: Nuclear Fusion Energy Could Be Closer Than Thought Why it’s not worth recycling plastic - For decades, consumers have been led to believe that recycling plastic saves on waste. Unfortunately, it’s not true, says Simon Wilson. And that could have big consequences for the oil business. Amidst Global Warming Hysteria, NASA Expects Global Cooling College Dems chapter leaves national org, alleges 'racism and classism' Parents At New York's Dalton School Revolt Over $54K Tuition For Online Classes Free Speech in Peril at Syracuse, Students and Alumni Say Cuomo, de Blasio both ignore science, sense in latest lockdown moves Why Big Names Are Getting COVID-19 Mike Pence's Superb Coronavirus Response MacDonald: Against Fear - President Trump’s handling of his coronavirus diagnosis models positive masculinity—rational and unbowed. Sean Penn Mocks Trump: ‘I Like Presidents Who Don’t Get Covid-19.’ James Woods: ‘I Like Presidents with Brass Ba**s’ Rubin’s Twitter spree is worth noting not just because it’s amusing in its own crazy way, but also because it exemplifies how irrational Trump hatred is, Photojournalist Went Undercover To Expose ‘White Supremacists’ At Riots, But Found Anarchists Instead POLL AVERAGE: TRUMP TRAILS BIDEN BY 8 POINTS CNN Reporter Complains About Trump Taking Mask Off; Trump Campaign Shows Her Taking Her Mask Off Inside WH Twitter CENSORS Sick Video of Creepy Joe Biden’s Gross, Inappropriate Comments to Little Girls in Florida Friday, August 21. 2020Orange Man BadThat is the Dem's program (plus free stuff for all, as usuaL): Scott podcast: Joe Biden is the biggest a-hole in America, etc Amusing, but with rough language. It is true that Scott is a Lefty, but a rational one. Rational Lefties tend to become sorta Conservative.
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Tuesday, June 23. 2020I don’t know how to argue in America anymoreI agree with this guy: For someone like me, that is a real tragedy and so I would like to understand how this new reality came about.
Monday, May 25. 2020The Last Six Seconds
One can hardly conceive of the enormous grief held quietly within General Kelly as he spoke. On Nov 13, 2010, Lt. General John Kelly, USMC, gave a speech to the Semper Fi Society of St. Louis, MO. This was four days after his son, Lt Robert Kelly, USMC, was killed by an IED while on his 3rd Combat tour. During his speech, General Kelly spoke about the dedication and valor of our young men and women who step forward each and every day to protect us. During the speech, he never mentioned the loss of his own son. He closed the speech with the moving account of the last six seconds in the lives of two young Marines who died with rifles blazing to protect their brother Marines. "I will leave you with a story about the kind of people they are, about the quality of the steel in their backs, about the kind of dedication they bring to our country while they serve in uniform and forever after as veterans. Two years ago when I was the Commander of all U.S. and Iraqi forces, in fact, the 22 ND of April 2008, two Marine infantry battalions, 1/9 "The Walking Dead," and 2/8 were switching out in Ramadi. One battalion in the closing days of their deployment going home very soon, the other just starting its seven-month combat tour. Two Marines, Corporal Jonathan Yale and Lance Corporal Jordan Haerter, 22 and 20 years old respectively, one from each battalion, were assuming the watch together at the entrance gate of an outpost that contained a makeshift barracks housing 50 Marines. The same broken down ramshackle building was also home to 100 Iraqi police, also my men and our allies in the fight against the terrorists in Ramadi, a city until recently the most dangerous city on earth and owned by Al Qaeda. Yale was a dirt poor mixed-race kid from Virginia with a wife and daughter, and a mother and sister who lived with him and whom he supported as well. He did this on a yearly salary of less than $23,000. Haerter, on the other hand, was a middle class white kid from Long Island. They were from two completely different worlds. Had they not joined the Marines they would never have met each other, or understood that multiple America's exist simultaneously depending on one's race, education level, economic status, and where you might have been born. But they were Marines, combat Marines, forged in the same crucible of Marine training, and because of this bond they were brothers as close, or closer, than if they were born of the same woman. The mission orders they received from the sergeant squad leader I am sure went something like, "Okay you two clowns, stand this post and let no unauthorized personnel or vehicles pass. You clear?" I am also sure Yale and Haerter then rolled their eyes and said in unison something like, "Yes Sergeant," with just enough attitude that made the point without saying the words, "No kidding ‘sweetheart’, we know what we're doing." They then relieved two other Marines on watch and took up their post at the entry control point of Joint Security Station Nasser, in the Sophia section of Ramadi, Al Anbar, Iraq. A few minutes later a large blue truck turned down the alley way - perhaps 60-70 yards in length, and sped its way through the serpentine of concrete jersey walls. The truck stopped just short of where the two were posted and detonated, killing them both catastrophically. Twenty-four brick masonry houses were damaged or destroyed. A mosque 100 yards away collapsed. The truck's engine came to rest two hundred yards away knocking most of a house down before it stopped. Our explosive experts reckoned the blast was made of 2,000 pounds of explosives. Two died, and because these two young infantrymen didn't have it in their DNA to run from danger, they saved 150 of their Iraqi and American brothers-in-arms. When I read the situation report about the incident a few hours after it happened I called the regimental commander for details as something about this struck me as different. Marines dying or being seriously wounded is commonplace in combat. We expect Marines regardless of rank or MOS to stand their ground and do their duty, and even die in the process, if that is what the mission takes. But this just seemed different. The regimental commander had just returned from the site and he agreed, but reported that there were no American witnesses to the event - just Iraqi police. I figured if there was any chance of finding out what actually happened and then to decorate the two Marines to acknowledge their bravery, I'd have to do it as a combat award that requires two eye-witnesses and we figured the bureaucrats back in Washington would never buy Iraqi statements. If it had any chance at all, it had to come under the signature of a general officer. I traveled to Ramadi the next day and spoke individually to a half-dozen Iraqi police all of whom told the same story. The blue truck turned down into the alley and immediately sped up as it made its way through the serpentine. They all said, "We knew immediately what was going on as soon as the two Marines began firing." The Iraqi police then related that some of them also fired, and then to a man, ran for safety just prior to the explosion. All survived. Many were injured, some seriously. One of the Iraqis elaborated and with tears welling up said, "They'd run like any normal man would to save his life." "What he didn't know until then," he said, "And what he learned that very instant, was that Marines are not normal." Choking past the emotion he said, "Sir, in the name of God no sane man would have stood there and done what they did." "No sane man." "They saved us all." What we didn't know at the time, and only learned a couple of days later after I wrote a summary and submitted both Yale and Haerter for posthumous Navy Crosses, was that one of our security cameras, damaged initially in the blast, recorded some of the suicide attack. It happened exactly as the Iraqis had described it. It took exactly six seconds from when the truck entered the alley until it detonated. You can watch the last six seconds of their young lives. Putting myself in their heads I supposed it took about a second for the two Marines to separately come to the same conclusion about what was going on once the truck came into their view at the far end of the alley. Exactly no time to talk it over, or call the sergeant to ask what they should do. Only enough time to take half an instant and think about what the sergeant told them to do only a few minutes before, "Let no unauthorized personnel or vehicles pass." The two Marines had about five seconds left to live. It took maybe another two seconds for them to present their weapons, take aim, and open up. By this time the truck was half-way through the barriers and gaining speed the whole time. Here, the recording shows a number of Iraqi police, some of whom had fired their AKs, now scattering like the normal and rational men they were - some running right past the Marines. They had three seconds left to live. For about two seconds more, the recording shows the Marines' weapons firing non-stop the truck's windshield exploding into shards of glass as their rounds take it apart and tore in to the body of the (I deleted) who is trying to get past them to kill their brothers - American and Iraqi-bedded down in the barracks totally unaware of the fact that their lives at that moment depended entirely on two Marines standing their ground. If they had been aware, they would have known they were safe because two Marines stood between them and a crazed suicide bomber. The recording shows the truck careening to a stop immediately in front of the two Marines. In all of the instantaneous violence Yale and Haerter never hesitated. By all reports and by the recording, they never stepped back. They never even started to step aside. They never even shifted their weight. With their feet spread shoulder width apart, they leaned into the danger, firing as fast as they could work their weapons. They had only one second left to live. The truck explodes. The camera goes blank. Two young men go to their God. Six seconds. Not enough time to think about their families, their country, their flag, or about their lives or their deaths, but more than enough time for two very brave young men to do their duty into eternity. That is the kind of people who are on watch all over the world tonight - for you. We Marines believe that God gave America the greatest gift he could bestow to man while he lived on this earth - freedom. We also believe he gave us another gift nearly as precious - our soldiers, sailors, airmen, U S Customs and Border Patrol, Coast Guardsmen, and Marines - to safeguard that gift and guarantee no force on this earth can ever steal it away. It has been my distinct honor to have been with you here today. Rest assured our America, this experiment in democracy started over two centuries ago, will forever remain the "land of the free and home of the brave" so long as we never run out of tough young Americans who are willing to look beyond their own self-interest and comfortable lives, and go into the darkest and most dangerous places on earth to hunt down, and kill, those who would do us harm. God Bless America, and SEMPER FIDELIS !" Friday, May 22. 2020The Personalization of DiseaseYesterday, a post by a fellow commentator addressed whether anyone would listen to epidemiologists again. This, in itself, is not a controversial question. There is a range of opinions, even among epidemiologists, on how to deal with viral outbreaks. That said, most posts are designed to create a discussion. None are likely to ever come to any complete answer, though hopefully some shared ground can be hammered out. It seems this did not occur and considerable animus was shared in the comments section. I will begin by saying I have not lost anyone to Covid, but I can list about 15 people in my family who are at risk. They have all been isolating, as they should. They know isolation won't prevent them from getting ill, as we know there are many other problems with isolation. But it is a safety feature. There are no guarantees for any of us. The questions which remain are whether we 'flattened the curve', actually 'saved lives', and even if we could do these things. There is no way, literally none, to answer whether we 'flattened the curve' or 'saved lives'. Saying we did will only be based on what you presume may have happened otherwise. That's not science, that's an opinion. My opinion is we didn't and can't do either, but my opinion is no better informed than yours. I base my reasoning on logic. Isolation has happened, and people are still getting sick despite isolation. The virus spreads more easily in confined spaces, and shutting up a family with one asymptomatic member may well doom the entire family. Multi-generational homes in Italy, where that kind of living is more common than in the US, certainly played a role in the Italian situation.
Continue reading "The Personalization of Disease" Saturday, April 18. 2020Saturday morning links: "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself."
An appreciation of Weird Al Yankovic BBC Sports Broadcaster Gives Colorful Commentary Of His Dogs Fighting Over A Chew Toy This university is offering credit for learning to play Dungeons and Dragons More Than 400 News Outlets Partner With A Project Seeking Media To Beef Up Climate Coverage Amid Pandemic The Limits of Clean Energy - If the world isn’t careful, renewable energy could become as destructive as fossil fuels. Joe Scarborough's Bowing, Scraping Question to Biden: Can You Talk About People's Pain? Joe Biden’s Double Standard - Confronting a sexual-harassment allegation, will the former vice president demand the due-process protections that he previously denied to others? For three years, the left has been peddling the story that the Russians interfered in the 2016 election in collaboration with the Trump campaign, with the ridiculous Steele Dossier cited as the proof.Now, the Party Line has shifted. The Russians still did it, says the new line, possibly working with the Clinton campaign, only they fed disinformation to the gullible... Was Trump the Only One in Washington Innocent of Russian Collusion? At Long Last John Solomon Says Indictments May Be Coming This Week in Obama’s Spygate Scandal Waiting for the truth CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK MAY HAVE STARTED AS EARLY AS SEPTEMBER, SCIENTISTS SAY David Warren: The world cannot be fixed What Is The Proof That This Covid-19 Thing Really Is A "Crisis," Or That Economic Suppression Is The Solution? Beef processors are closing U.S. plants, warn of beef shortages and hoarding Are You Wearing Sweatpants While Working At Home During Bat Soup Virus? The LA Times Is Not Happy With You Why coronavirus jobs crisis isn’t as bad as it may seem Dr. Ronny Jackson to Newsmax TV: Time to Open Texas SICHEL: Either We Wait For A Vaccine, Or We Turn The Lights On Now That is too rational Tammy Duckworth Falsely Accuses President Trump of Killing Americans in Coronavirus Crisis by Withholding Ventilators Such trash talk. There are too many ventilators, plus they don't work well for covid oneumonia anyway Influential COVID-19 Model Uses Flawed Methods And Shouldn’t Guide U.S. Policies, Critics Say 2.9 Million Americans Already Delinquent on Home Loans Thanks to Fauci Lockdown – Open The Economy! “THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING” IS NOW “THE BUCK PASSER IN CHIEF” Whatever he does is wrong cuz he is retarded orangeman Why Epidemiologists Still Don’t Know The Death Rate From COVID-19 Lower than anyone thinks COVID-19 Is A Man-Made Virus: HIV-Discoverer Says "Could Only Have Been Created In A Lab" Internal memos reveal Chinese leaders delayed warning public of coronavirus pandemic Duh. Lying is an Asian thing. Multicultural understanding, you know? China Is Bargain Hunting—and Western Security Is at Risk. Beijing could use the coronavirus-induced economic crisis to go on a buying spree. The U.S. and European governments must restrict the purchasing of distressed companies in sensitive sectors. WaPo: WHO Has A China Problem — But It’s Waaaay Worse Than That Washington Post: Anti-Israel Activist Spews More Gaza Coronavirus Agitprop Lying is a middle-eastern thing too. Ever been to a middle-eastern market?
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