PN:
Note: This Sunday Rant is focused on the American election, no apology. We the People have spoken. Joe is smiling. David is brewing tea and stroking troubled progressive brows. On with the Rant:
Joe’s Comment – What is this nay-saying? Beer commercials aren’t real? WTF? Next you’ll be saying there is no such thing as free will…… Or a Trump presidency!
Joe has been telling me this for years – since the spectre (in progressive minds) of Brexit, championed by Nigel Farage (and other realistic Brits), rose from the travesty called the European Union – a Western World™ movement is gaining momentum. The majority of those movers are middle class / blue collar people who have finally had enough of the political class saying and doing without the consent of the people who voted them into office. They’ve had enough of the intellectual elite charting the cultural course without reference to reality, guided by emotional yearning for equality of outcome. For many years those elected to represent have been acting in their own interests, robbing the treasury and stealing the freedom and liberty of future generations. For many years the intellectual elite have been migrating further and further from historical norms, migrating like a halibut eyeball into a grotesque caricature of normalcy.
50 shades of feudalism!
As long as there is “democracy”, as long as the concept of “We the People” lives, as long as life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are considered unalienable rights (natural Law), the voice of the people will be heard. Seems there IS A BALANCE, and a pendulum is swinging and there is a “center”! Affirmation that no matter how inefficient, cumbersome, and irritating “democracy” is, there is no better system (yet). Joe says the march to “Global Governance®” has been slowed, but not stopped. Vigilance is required. Joe says we in the West will NOT get on board until all nations reflect Western values. At that time, global governance will be a moot concept. Sneaky, sneaky, Joe.
Joe and I feel that voting should be restricted, like a privilege – a “means” test before eligibility – i.e. the voter must have a fucking clue what they are doing before they vote. You must pass a test to legally drive a car on public roads. All you need to vote legally is citizenship and a certain sum of trips around the sun. What a recipe for disaster…..
“No government can continue good but under the control of the people; and … their minds are to be informed by education what is right and what wrong; to be encouraged in habits of virtue and to be deterred from those of vice… These are the inculcations necessary to render the people a sure basis for the structure and order of government.” – Thomas Jefferson
American Election Tidbits
– The Canadian Immigration website crashed.
– My fellow Canadians and I have something in common (finally!). We don’t need no stinkin’ cry baby runaway progressives. Read all the comments for a good chuckle. Lots and lots more with a Google search….
– The Kremlin says a Trump victory has thwarted World War III. Putin first one to offer congratulations to Trump.
– Mexico is officially and unofficially soiling her panties. Peso falling….. (Whose side is Mexico on? Hint: In WWII Mexico supported the Allies with men and materiel. They skipped WWI, Korea, Iraq, Afghanistan, Vietnam).
– World Muslim reactions vary from soiled undies to screaming orgasms. Same same domestically. You can Google all de doo da day on this one… Which begs the question from Joe “What exactly is the legal definition and cultural requirement for a “religion” to be “recognized”?
– Talk of succession from Californicators, Origamis, New Yuckers, even DC (WTF? Not a state!), and bunches of crybabies. Joe says get a job. Invent something useful. Provide a necessary service. Quit staining your diapers.
– Argument that Trump also won the “Popular Vote“.
Election Analysis
Joe and I have been reading and watching around to find what the pundits think happened. Some interesting links and videos follow. Trigger Alert! Note that these links are to conservative thinkers. If you lean left, read with caution. Wouldn’t want any snowflake meltdowns:
– Victor David Hanson (History Professor, Hoover Institute Fellow).
– Mark Levin (Constitutional lawyer, host of The Mark Levin Show). Joe picked one of several post election podcasts.
– TheZman (blogger) – an analysis of the last 100 years. An article titled “National Populism” which rationalizes how is now. A quote –
“…………National Populism is a bottom up phenomenon. The people organizing resistance to the globalists are doing so out of self-defense. AfD is not planning to invade Poland. The alt-right is not looking to invade Mexico and claim it for the United States. UKIP is not interested in rebuilding the Empire. The populist movements of the West are simply a response in self defense to global elites that no longer respect the people over whom they rule. They are the backlash to the relentless front lash of multiculturalism.
The logical end of these populist movements is that everyone goes back to where they belong to live in peace. Unlike the nationalism of a century ago, National Populism is not ambitious. It is mildly isolationist and inward looking. A century ago Western rulers were swollen by excessive pride. Today, populist dissenters are simply interested in crawling out from under a half century of shame, heaped upon them by people who claim to be their betters. National Populism is nothing more than the a return to normalcy.”
– Marine Le Pen (French politician (Front National) leading the “global revolution” in France) – a French version of Nigel Farage (UK) or Geert Wilders (NL). (Monday update for posterity)
What Kim W. Thinks (With Love):
Kim W. offers the following as consolation to the Hillary supporters. He feels your pain….. Very heartfelt. Very infectious –
What Stefan Molyneux Thinks:
and another (without the singing):
What Rush Limbaugh Thinks:
What Ezra Thinks:
What Michael Savage Thinks:
What Bill Whittle Thinks:
What Ann Coulter Thinks:
What John Bolton Thinks:
What Rudy Giuliani Thinks:
What Dennis Miller Thinks:
What Paul Joseph Watson Thinks:
What Greg Gutfeld Thinks:
What Joe Mekanic Thinks
Joe and I are in the category of “salt of the earth”. As theZman says, we are the “dirt people”. We have some smarts, some experience, some wisdom. We also have experienced loss, heartache, sorrow, joy, elation, victory, and defeat. We have been betrayed by our political elite, whose actions seem determined by the odor of the political wind, not the core values of Western thought. We want to be left the fuck alone to pursue our happiness in an environment free of angst and guilt heaped upon us by tortured souls who fear to open their eyes to the blazing light of Western culture. Take your diversity and multiculturalism and shove it. Anything more than food and music is circumspect, subject to verification and validation. And comparison. And judgement.
Julian Assange
Thanks to Kevin R. for forwarding the following video. It is very sobering. For example, Mr. Assange’s claim that Wall Street entities chose the Obama cabinet, and the decimation of Libya along with the record number of arms purchased by Saudi Arabia during her tenure as SoS was entirely HR Clinton’s doing, are incredibly disconcerting. The source is Russia Today, and the interview was conducted by John Pilger (a critic of American, Australian, UK foreign policy). The “Western Establishment narrative” isn’t well known, because the “free press” is not free (has it ever been?) and the political prisoners held by the West in support of the approved narrative must be denied a public platform (for what reason – could they be holding evidence and stating facts?). Mr. Pilger’s documentaries have won accolades and awards. At the time of the interview the American election had not yet been held, and Mr. Assange had been living in two rooms at the UK Ecuadorian Embassy for over 4 years. They are both “lefties”, but that isn’t against the law, and doesn’t mean their opinion and facts are without merit (a reminder for the hard-core “righties” in the crowd). Joe watched it once. I watched it twice. We will watch it together, again (Buck Owens when you least expect him!):
This business of “whistle-blowing” and “leaking” relies on someone and/or something giving up information contrary to the wishes of the information holder.
Is this always against the law?
Good question David.
Consider the following broad brush strokes.
– During World War II the espionage efforts of every combatant nation were often critical in influencing the outcome of events. Many stories of important data, critical information, and secret scientific / technical materiel acquired by operatives of the Allies are celebrated and attributed a measure of importance in bringing the Axis powers to defeat. The Axis powers espionage efforts were also actively engaged in undermining the Allies efforts. The penalty for being captured doing espionage was harsh. Certainly a ruthless and thorough interrogation, most often followed by incarceration if not execution. There is a body of law that is specific to warfare, quite independent from domestic law and peacetime international law.
– In peacetime espionage is presumably being done. It may take the form of a national interest. An example – the Chinese have recently flown the Chengdu J20 (Black Eagle) air superiority stealth fighter. There is evidence the aircraft design was influenced by secret / confidential Western technology “leaked” or stolen from Western governments and/or corporations. This form of espionage is addressed in international law. Two references on international law: UN on International Law, and a Wikipedia article on International Law. Reference to espionage outside of war: a general discussion of espionage at Wikipedia, a paper by John Radsan, Associate Professor of Law, William Mitchell College of Law, “The Unresolved Equation of Espionage and International Law” (excellent and well researched document – must read!).
– It may take the form of corporate espionage, i.e. the Coca-Cola company product formula is a trade secret. If it were a copyright, or a trade mark, or a patent, it is protected by law, but the nature of these laws publishes the secret as part of defining the copyright, trade mark, or patent. As a secret, it has no legal protection, but the formula(e) is safe until revealed. A short explanation here (Canadian intellectual property law). Depending on the circumstances, claims of corporate espionage may be heard in a domestic or international court. The shylocks would determine where they have the best chance of successful action.
Legal cases are often won or lost on the presence of evidence. Occasionally, evidence is pertinent and real and damning, but because of the “rules of evidence”, it is not admissible due to the method used to obtain it. Once again the shylocks would snort squeal and stampede to the trough to establish credible evidence.
What about the sort of “leaks” that Wikileaks leaks?
Top of the class, David!
What does a legal system do when information about a sitting government proves wrongdoing, but said evidence is obtained in a questionable manner?
Exactly!
A government isn’t a person, or a people. Does fidelity to We the People outweigh the rigid logic of The Law©®™? Do the facts trump (no pun intended) the legality of how they were found out? Is it admissible? I’m sure it is a hotly contested legal discussion. Like here, here, and here.
That’s what is going on right now. Without the hackers having done what they do, the evidence of malfeasance, deception, criminal activity, extortion, immorality, and a host of other no-nos would still be unknown nos.
Joe and I have no idea what the legal solution might be (refer to the article above re: espionage vs International Law), but we think whatever it is might have to defy logic from some perspective. For instance, the sacrosanct “Public Interest” and “Public Trust” is not a special body of law, but a special consideration or interpretation of existing law. Perhaps it will depend on what the nature of the content is; i.e. intellectual property or state secrets may have more weight than emails about grandchildren and yoga lessons.
Red Meat
All this political grinding has made Joe and me hungry.
Here’s a marvelous short video of a multi-decade vegetarian eating meat. Joe and I drooled watching Stephanie Potakis eat at a class beanery:
Armistice Day
I sent an email around on Remembrance Day to mark the occasion and the day. It was mostly an emotional reaction from the heart of DJ Drover fueled by a few pints and a shot of 40 Creek whiskey (yum, yum!). Joe thought it was hasty and ill thought out – shouting at the doGs so to speak.
Several people responded with information and corrections to share. Thanks Madeline M. for the update on the Memorial Day ceremony at the Coldstream hall. I’ll keep that info for next year. Thanks Kevin R. for the links and info about Vernon and Oyama Remembrance ceremonies. Thanks Keith W. for the reminder that some teachers and some schools do a good job of informing young minds of our heritage. Thanks Mark P. for the info about activity in Calgary – 4000 crosses in a field on Memorial Drive must have been a most powerful display. Thanks Ron D. for the thoughtful reply and family history. Thanks Tom L. for the caution – lord knows I fly off the handle at a moments notice when emotionally charged. Alcohol does that to both Joe and old David. Thanks to all of you.
The November/December 2016 issue of Legion (Canadian Legion magazine) has an interesting article about Canadian history, titled “5 Battles That Shaped Canada“. This article states that Canada, the “Peaceable Kingdom”, was formed by war. Spend a few minutes to learn some Canadiana. For some reason the author didn’t mention Vimy Ridge or Juno Beach (for two examples) but of the battles mentioned, we only knew about two.
Joe’s Garage
This shift pattern diagram made Joe laugh fit to bust.
Fond embarrassing memories of driving a “5 X 4” Chevy gravel truck with a 396 cu. in. way back around 1974, working for Funk Construction in Kelowna. Or trying to drive it. Once you get the idea of the strange progression and get in top gear, the traffic changes and you have to come back down. Joe revved the shit out of that motor mostly because he didn’t know where in the world the next ratio was hiding.
Here gear, here gear, where are you gear?
Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr chunk. Voila.
Here’s a video with numbers so you can get an idea:
POLITICS, POLITICIANS, WACKJOBBERY, HUMOROUS, STUPID
GUNS, GUNNERS, GUNNERY
A different perspective for most city dwellers:
A 44 Magnum projectile, slow motion camera. and ballistic gel make an interesting video:
SUNDAY SERMON
This week has been tumultuous in the political arena. Joe and I have been watching and studying and thinking….. where is all the anger and misinformation coming from? Is the anger the egg and the misinformation the chicken? The following video of Peter Schiff standing with the “great unlearned” is very painful to watch all the way to the end. Joe and I managed to sit through the entire episode, squirming and shouting. Occasionally we shut it off to cool down. Two things came to our mind: you can’t learn much when you’re flapping your lips, and, how many dumb sons-a-bitches can be assembled in one spot without an implosion?
This video is from October 2011, and is an exchange with Occupy Wall Street commandos. It is pertinent today as the header says for Bernie supporters and progressives who just don’t get it. Peter Schiff is speaking truth to reality. All the Occupy correspondents are angry about something but they don’t know who or how to harness the anger to their benefit. An excellent but difficult to watch video:
If you watch to the end, bravo, good show!
If the government won’t teach the facts about capitalism, and the schools don’t teach the facts about capitalism, the burden rests with the People. Nice show Peter. You must feel like the only sane man in the asylum.
What does Peter Schiff think in 2016? Here is a discussion with Stefan Molyneaux from October 2016, a month before the presidential election:
WEATHER (OR NOT)
This week in Vernon the rainy season continues.
The yard is a clay mudbog, which sucks.
But….. it hasn’t frozen yet.
Put away the pressure washer today. Tomorrow the outside water stop and drain.
I’d prefer sunny days and rainy nights.
No freeze no snow is a good compromise.
Joe (short day) Mekanic
p.s. Ramirez sunshine –
