PN:
Joe’s Comment – Well, the furnace is cutting in during the very early morning hours. It has rained several times this week. Dew on the windshields.
Autumn has arrived.
If there is any salvation for my spirit during this melancholy march to Winter it is the increase in reading I feel compelled to pursue.
For that is all that Autumn means to me, despite the lovely colorful death of all the trillions of photosynthesis miracle workers on every local flora entity, most notably the deciduous trees.
The death of leaves is colorful. But ominous…..
The bugs die or hibernate or leave for sunnier warmer climes.
So too the birds. And squirrels. Turtles, even.
Here in Canada, Our Dear Leader, Chief Rainbow Socks, continues to lead drag Canada from its state of economic prosperity to Third World banana republic misery with social policy based on ideology, not reality.
As the jingle goes, what’s a poor girl to do?
For me, it means research.
How did this shit happen?
Anyone reading this weekly rant will attest to my strong opinions about cultural aberrations foisted upon us by government. Thomas Wolfe famously wrote “you can’t go home again“. I contend that if you never left, you are still there! Furthermore, you have the onus, the responsibility, to reckon how things changed right under yer nose. Then, accept the burden of correcting and repairing the wrong(s).
When you observe the machinations of the political organs in China, Cuba, Venezuela, and other “People’s Republics” (did I forget North Korea?) what are the foundational differences separating their political philosophy from The West?
I might add, from what remains of The West, as I will elucidate below.
To my little pea brain, when distilled, dissected, and scrutinized under an electron microscope, it has to do with The Individual vs the “Common Good”, aka, The State.
In some persons minds, the health and preservation of The State (whomever and whatever that might include) supersedes the right(s) of the Individual.
That is, the individual citizen bows to the collective.
From cognizance (I think, therefore, I am), and experience (I think, therefore I do), and wisdom (I think, therefore I know) this is inefficient, destructive, and a malaise of thought.
In other words, extremely exciting and worth pursuing for a certain type of individual. (Think psychopath, think narcissist, think “your betters”).
For average (or above average) Mud Peckers, Dirt People, and the Salt of the Earth men and women, this is a foreign concept.
Speaking from experience, all I ever wanted was to pursue my pursuits (often expressed as “happiness”), have adventures (a hopeful byproduct of pursuing pursuits), and when absolutely unavoidable, leave this mortal coil having contributed more than I took.
And to be left the fuck alone to pursue my “happiness”.
Alas, life is more Yogi Berra than Jesus Christ –
This week I read a book on my “must read” list (which list has become unimaginably long, hopelessly long – bring back the Reader’s Digest!).
The book is by Thomas Paine, and is titled “Common Sense – Addressed to the Inhabitants of America“.
Difficult for me to parse, because…. language.
Mr. Paine and I do not speak the same King’s English.
However, after much reading, re-reading, mulling, and reading again, I believe this brief plea was instrumental in the spawning of The Declaration of Independence in America. He outlined a form of government based on law, formed by the People, for the People. He advocated freedom from monarchy, and the establishment of self rule. In this work he did not prescribe a method of preserving sanctity, i.e., preventing corruption (“separation of powers”), but he did lay the groundwork, sketch an outline for a Republic.
History has named him a “Founding Father”. He is considered the “Father of the American Revolution“. He abhorred slavery, monarchy, and was a harsh critic of religion.
What’s not to like?
I learned a few things reading this document from Thomas Paine.
– Ideas spring from the minds of men (and women too, damn it!), not committees
– The “Collective” is not an entity; it is composed of like minded individuals, and as such each can be persuaded on an individual basis
– The written word has unimaginable power (memes/mind viruses: Richard Dawkins)
– 1776 English is hard to parse for an old Mud Pecker like me…..
I started reading another work this week. “The Wealth of Nations”, by Adam Smith. Coincidentally, published also in 1776. Is it coincidence?
Remember the words of Stephen Bannon “There are no conspiracies but there are also no coincidences.”
Something in the air, at the time, I reckon:
On another note, the first day of Autumn has arrived. My mood definitely shifts.
Six months ’til Spring seems a very long time even when it flies by.
Some tunes appropriate for the mood and season.
A Melody Gardot creation:
The same again, another fantastic version, with Beth Hart and Joe Bonamassa:
Don Henley and Bonnie Raitt with a melancholy heartbreaking masterpiece:
Lucinda Williams singing “Lost Girl”:
Peter Sarstedt with his eternally haunting ballad:
And the incomparable Nora Jones, a gentle spirit if ever there was:
Passings
Roger Whittaker (RIP)
One of our favorite singer / composers.
Thank doG technology has preserved his fabulous voice.
Thank you, Mr. Whittaker for the years of musical excellence you shared with the world:
Canadiana
Quick Dick McDick
Once again, Saskatchewan’s agrarian ambassador to The World™ brings the message Turdeau doesn’t want to hear, doesn’t like to hear, won’t listen to, and, just plainly, doesn’t hear.
Jesus H. Pifarino, it ain’t rocket science.
You can’t tax your way to prosperity, to riches, to wealth!
QDMcD patiently explains how the politicians shit in the buckwheat.
That expression means ruin the crop.
Joe can’t help thinking they do it on purpose….
Is it avarice? Or megalomania? Psychopathy, narcissism, or a bad case of “Marie Antoinette-ism”? Letting us eat cake sounds like a party.
Until you find out it is urinal cakes.
Which begs a question – the expression “physician, heal thyself” ( Greek: Ἰατρέ, θεράπευσον σεαυτόν, Iatre, therapeuson seauton ), sometimes quoted in the Latin form, Medice, cura te ipsum, is an ancient proverb appearing in Luke 4 :23.) means “We won’t believe a word you say until you take care of what ails you”.
What, pray tell, is the equivalent for misdirected, misguided, perhaps malevolent politicians?
Jesus, Joseph, and Mary, don’t we wish politicians would “tend to their knitting“.
It’s not as if they are twiddling their thumbs with sweet fuck all to do. Although the “big money” indicators show Canada is “prosperous”, culturally we are a hot mess.
What Joe and I surmise is that the real work politicians were sent to Ottawa to do is an incredibly difficult task that they are not equipped to address. Hence, they diddle about, consumed with distractions, with “shinny things”. Oh look! Over here! Oppression! Stop the press, stop the country, prepare the lecture! Listen up, you naughty Canadians!
Joe and I ask: how many hands can milk the horse before there is nary enough to placate the thirsty? Only a politician would seek a “solution” that has no ailment to address. Samuel Clements sums it up well –
Here is a brilliant commentary from QDMcD, from the Saskatchewan heartland:
Americana
Megyn Kelly, Dan Bongino
What is the “American success story”?
The lives of these two people, that’s what.
The following interview is sparkling.
How refreshing to hear these people speak freely:
Andrew Klavan
Joe says this is his favorite bald guy.
And our favorite commenter about “The Culture”.
A fabulous Christian ex-Jew writer and polemicist.
The one, the only, The Klavan:
Health
Red Meat / Diabetes?
Dr. Ken Berry and Dr. Ben Bikman detail the function of insulin in relation to protein, fat, and carbohydrates.
Joe and I are so impressed that we rushed out and had Amazon deliver Dr. Bikman’s book, “Why We Get Sick” in two days. Free delivery.
Amazing what thinking you know something does for your self image:
Food for Cancer
Dr. Thomas Seyfried was featured in Sunday Rant – 1923.
His research of 30+ years has led him to believe that cancer is a metabolic disorder, not a genetic disease or mutation.
His data and experimentation support his argument.
In this discussion of cancer with Rena (5 Minute Body), he asserts that by shifting the paradigm of “Cancer Research©” from the current focus on genetic disorder to a focus on metabolic health, the incidence of cancer will be reduced by 50%!
That there should be enough for the medical community to pay attention, if only to disprove Dr. Seyfried’s theories.
Joe and I have only 74 years of life on this planet.
We are not aware of any other life we have had.
Consequently, we have a rather biased vested interest in our existence.
The message is simple. Cancer cells need certain forms of nutrition.
When mitochondrial dysfunction reverts to fermentation for energy, the smart response is to cut off the source of fuel for fermentation.
Sign us up!:
Cartoonists
Sean Delonas
Joe and I love Mr. Delonas’ dark characatures of events and politicians.
There are some cartoonists that are head and shoulders above all others.
Mr. Delonas is a gifted artist –
Joe’s Garage
700+ HP Flathead
There are people who specialize in optimizing power plants.
On more than one occasion, Joe and I have included Keith and Jeff Dorton’s place of business, Automotive Specialists, in this rant.
If there are “mad scientists” of the automotive world, these two men must be in that select group.
In this video, work that took two years to complete produced a 700+ horsepower flathead Ford, running Ardun heads and a supercharger.
The ultra rare Ardun head motor was built to challenge the land speed record for the XXF category at Bonneville.
Joe and I figure the old record doesn’t stand a chance.
Unfortunately, Bonneville was rained out this year.
It will be worth the wait to see this engine run next year:
Ford GT
The Texas Mile is owned by a Ford GT.
The fastest terminal velocity ever (rear wheel drive) – 310.8 mph – was set last December by Johnny Bohmer, driving his 2006 Ford GT (Sunday Rant – 0123).
I ask Joe, why for? How come this? WTF?
Joe says the Ford engineers designed the Ford GT as a tribute to the original Ford GT40. The car was a showpiece of the best Ford can do – a “Halo car“. Unlike other halo cars built primarily for marketing / recognition, the Ford GT was a bona fide race car modified for the street. Or was it a street car modified for racing? You decide. Whatever you decide, it is an extremely overbuilt car.
Watch the following video, and you will learn of the amazing “over engineering” included in the Ford GT. This was what allowed Johnny Bohmer and his crew to modify the Ford engine to produce very high levels of power needed at speeds over 300 miles per hour. The factory engine internals were capable of over 1000 horsepower. Mr. Bohmer’s GT is producing close to 3,000 horsepower.
Joe says with that big a stable, the hay bill would cripple us financially!: