Opus 2026-379: Part B

About a year ago I came across some click bait from a source called the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship.  I listened to a few of their speakers and felt like they were a group that had their heads on straight.

Time marches on and this year I began finding more speakers that were less than inspiring and often off base by my measurement.  I am wondering if this is another example of bait and switch that we see in so many venues.  I recently tuned in to a speaker that was new to me.  He was Yemi Osinbajo, former vice president of Liberia.  He began by listing the high points of the progress made in the 20th century.  He started with items I would agree with.  Among those was the pursuit of free speech.  Then at the end he snuck in a kidney punch.  He mentioned a rule based international order.  What also struck me was that he left out the other points of our first amendment and completely ignored the second.

He kept throwing around the term “democracy” as if it was a good thing and seemed to be totally unaware of the history of democracy.  He attributed all progress to this “rule based international order.”  He then listed how confidence was eroding and, to be fair, most of what he said was correct, but he slipped in a little phrase that would grow as he spoke:  Economic systems that were fair.

Then he went on and came back to the idea of free speech.  That sounded good, at first.  He pointed out that it was once a bedrock of our freedoms in liberty.  He wasn’t satisfied with that.  He said now it has become divisive and he threw out the idea of misinformation.  Where he’s going with this is that we need to find ways to limit free speech because free speech is divisive.  He’s not going to say that clearly because he knows how that will be received by the audience, but that’s what’s in his heart.

He works through a few more positive things until he comes to free enterprise.  He starts off talking about the wonders that is produced, but then he says that it is degenerated into widening inequality and economic insecurity and declining social mobility.  He completely ignores the destructive role of central planning and government regulation.  He does not acknowledge the role of free enterprise in raising the standard of living around the world.

Trust in government is declining because of political polarization.  He moves on to immigration and quickly stakes out a position against barriers to people being able to move freely.

At 4:40 he makes his first reference to climate change.  This theme will keep reemerging.  This is where he really lost me.  If you believe that open borders are good and climate change is a major issue you have traded in your scholars robe for a dunce cap.  Call it a litmus test if you will.  To paraphrase Shakespeare, “A rose by any other name, be it oh so sweet, is still a socialist.”

Like most One World Government people he has no understanding of economics.  He laments the fact that Africa has incredibly high interest rates when they try to borrow money . He seems unaware that interest is a reflection of risk and Africa is very risky.  He does not mention that part of the problem is that Africa never, or seldom, pays back what it borrows.

He fears AI.  He calls for more government regulation.  He sees a need for global organization.  Reforming international finance of course requires lower interest and debt relief.  There is nothing about people learning to stand on their own two feet.  In short he is a One World Government Wolf in the skin of a liberty loving sheep.

We need to wrap our arms around the entire first amendment.  Note that the first concern of the founders was making a state church impossible and allowing Americans to approach God in the way they wanted, or to not approach Him at all.  We need to understand that the glorious concept of free speech is meaningless without the freedom of religion and the other rights guaranteed in that paragraph.  They become impossible without the second amendment.

I shall keep looking for rational voices.

homo unius libri

Opus 2026-120: Politics Matters

The idea of submerging your personal interest in individuality into the good of the whole sounds very noble, however, it is totally antithetical to western values.  In Christianity, you have an individual who comes before God and stands before God as an individual.  It really doesn’t matter his ethnic group, his social standing, his sex or non-sex.  You stand before God by yourself.  You are judged by yourself.  In socialism, the individual is dissolved into the good of the whole and what you want is of absolutely no consequence.  You will be brainwashed to the point where you will agree and think that anything is right as long as the Dear Leader tells you so.  If you need a reminder about this, you can read the final chapter of 1984 where Smith starts, declaring his love for Big Brother .  Take that over to other religions.  Hinduism and Buddhism are a good example of where this goes because their ultimate reality, their ultimate goal is Nirvana where they as an individual disappear into the vast sea of the Force.  You as an individual cease to exist.  That is the goal.

These young airheads that are so excited about socialism seem to forget that in the end socialism really doesn’t care what they want or doesn’t care about them.  They are expected to sacrifice everything and they do so.  But they think in the end they are going to be in the elite, in the managerial classes, the ones who are getting the cream from the top of our skim milk.  In reality, they will get whatever is left over and whatever the elites decide they want them to have.

It’ll be a sad day when they wake up in their social paradise.

homo unius libri

Opus 2026-087: Bell Curve Utopia

 he emergence of AI seems to promise a lot.  Picture technology, moving forward to the point where no one needs to mine iron ore anymore, it’s all done by intelligent machines.  You no longer need to do your laundry, or mow your lawn.  It’s all done by intelligent machines.  Everyone is able to live in comfort and plenty.  There are no shortages.  There is also no need for most human beings.

When you think of a world demonstrated by such science fiction as Star Trek, you have these beautiful advanced starships with carpet in perfect condition, uniform cuffs that are never frayed, food appears miraculously out of a slot on the wall.  Nowhere is there a sweaty cook tasting the broth.  It’s all done by machines.

So all you really need in this ideal utopia are the elites.  All you want are those who are of superior intelligence and ability.  There is really no place for anyone else.  The problem this presents is that it seems that humanity is produced from the womb in a bell shaped distribution of intelligence and ability.  The only way you can produce just an elite is to eliminate all those who are below a certain IQ level.  I use IQ as a familiar term not because it would be the actual measure used.

Of course this would require some more advanced technology, overseen, maybe by AI.  You would probably have intelligent machines choosing who would live and who would not.   You could do this by abortion, the pre-birth level, elimination by murder shortly after birth,  regular testing schedules, where everyone who failed to measure up was done away with, or some really sophisticated genetic engineering.

When it comes to the bell curve of humanity, I am relatively sure that in most areas I am above mediocre.  I am far from being the top of the pile.  I am not really excellent in anything, but I am better than the average bear.  In spite of that I’m afraid that I would not be high enough on the scale to qualify to walk down the halls of the Starship Enterprise.  They don’t need people who are just good enough or slightly better than average.  All they have room for is the cream at the top.

It is a scary scenario and one that some people would love to see.  Of course the rioting fools of socialism all see themselves in the captain’s chair.  At best they will be red shirts.

homo unius libri

Opus 2026-086: Star Trek Christmas

How do you give gifts if you live in a socialist Utopia?

Keep in mind that there is no real difference between Marxism and socialism when you get to the end of the day.  Scholars may want to debate the nuances but they both end up with the state in control.

I was thinking about Star Trek and how you never see any money being used.  I believe it is supposed to be the perfect Utopia which functions on the Marxist slogan of “from each according to his ability; to each according to his need.”  In this perfect Utopia you are advanced to Star Fleet because you are the most qualified.  I always wonder where the peasants are who produce the basics for the elites.

How would you celebrate Christmas or birthdays in a culture where what your needs are provided but there is no surplus for things like gifts?  Is there a prescribed list of gifts in the government store that anyone can walk in and collect?  Do you need to fill out a form or get your supervisor to approve?  If the person needed the gift, could they not pick it up themselves?  If they did not need it would you be allowed to give it to them? 

Would old people have a clutter of knick-knacks around their one bedroom suites or would they all be collected by the Need Police?

Somehow the concept of Utopia and socialism don’t seem to go together.

homo unius libri

Opus 2025-498: Socialists Don’t Sweat

Why does socialism always fail?

I believe it was Margaret Thatcher, who put it in a nutshell when she said, “They always run out of other peoples money.”  Don’t let the word money get you distracted.  Money is just something that substitutes for items that you want to trade or barter.  So let’s just say that eventually the government runs out of other peoples assets.

To most of us that doesn’t mean anything.  We have credit cards, we have debit cards, we know what it is to get something for nothing.  Or we think we get it for nothing.  We have whole generations who don’t understand the central concept of credit that eventually you have to pay it back.  I remember a discussion between Charlie Kirk and Tucker Carlson.  Charlie was explaining to him that we have a whole generation of people who somehow have used up their credit, but they can go around the credit and order a pizza on the installment plan.  And so they do.  It’s constructed in such a way that it’s outside of the normal controls of credit cards and credit but it’s the same thing just under a different name.

So these people will order a pizza with the idea that they will pay for it and four installments.  Of course, the next day they want another pizza and the next day another pizza.  Because they have no concept of earning their own way, they keep digging deeper and deeper into debt.  In the real world, they will eventually run into a wall where the pizza delivery man will demand immediate payment and since they have no assets to give him, he will take the pizza back to the store.

It always amazes me how people don’t seem to understand, but not only do they have to pay back what they charge on their credit card, but there are extremely high interest rates that are attached if they stretch it out over a period of time.  And the person who will stretch it out over a period of time because they can’t pay it is the same person that will continue charging.

Now let’s look at the large economy.  Ultimately, there are only a few places where assets are developed.  I have heard some summarize it as growing food and mining ore.  They generally come at the cost of sweaty labor.  That sweaty labor is delivered by sweaty laborers.  In other words, someone has to produce the wheat that makes the pizza crust.  Someone else has to produce the bricks that make the oven in which the pizza is baked.  I would guess that a majority of people think that this is done by the little red hen and that instead of saying she would eat it herself she just continues to turn it over to those who have been taking naps.

Ultimately, the sweaty laborer is going to want to be paid.  He’s going to want to be reimbursed for the effort he’s put in.  He will want some assets in exchange for his sweat.  If society takes him for granted and refuses to pay because, after all, we’re in this together, he will eventually retreat to his truck garden where he is raising enough food for him and his family, and the wheatfield will become a weed field.

Then you have a deadly domino effect that kicks in.

First, the mills shut down because there’s no grain to grind.  Then the bakery shuts down because there’s no flour to make bread.  Of course that assumes that the bakers showed up and joined the sweaty masses.  Then the store shelves become empty because nobody is baking bread.  And then the masses riot because there is no bread.  All they see is the fact that the greedy grocery store is not supplying what they need, that the politicians are not delivering on their promises, that the rich are eating cake and caviar.  What they don’t see is that there ain’t no such thing as a free lunch.

Can the socialist turn out the army to force the sweaty laborers in the field to produce grain?  Possibly for a while.  The problem is that the sweaty laborer who is being amply rewarded for his work will put in that little extra something which produces the profit margin that becomes the asset that can be passed on.  The sweaty laborer who is compelled to work by the bayonet will take a nap every time his minder looks the other way.  Being clever as well as sweaty he will mix in some sand or dirt with the grain in the bag put it on the truck and go home to dinner, if they left anything for him to eat.  If they didn’t leave him anything to eat he will get weaker and starve to death, and there will be no sweaty laborers who know how to raise wheat.

You think this is just my imagination?  Then go look at how socialism worked in the Soviet Union when they starved the Ukrainian peasants to death.  Would you want a television made in a Soviet factory during those days?  It would make a nice paperweight and conversation piece but would be pretty much useless for entertainment.

In other words, socialism doesn’t work because lazy is the default setting in human beings.  Go back and read the story of The Little Red Hen.  When it was time to work, everyone had an excuse.  When it came time to eat, everyone had their napkin around their neck and a fork in their hand.  Unfortunately the little red hen was the one who had the bread and the lazy laborers did not have an army to take it away from her.

Socialism has never worked, and it will never work because you will never get to the place where people will give you according to their ability and only take according to their genuine need.

It is as obvious as it is simple.

homo unius libri

Opus 2025-233: Headlines: Gag Reflex

My computer did its “I am in charge” reboot and I was forced to get things going again.  As a result the opening page of my browser showed up without being invited.  One of the things that it likes to do it try to get me to click on its choices of important spots.  The first one got my attention.  It said that Pope Francis had died at 88.

My reaction?  “At last.”

The AP slant was that he was a “...pontiff who charmed the world with his humble style and...”  Even for the AP that shows an ability to lie that is exceptional.  I don’t know a lot of Catholics but I never met one who felt he had a “humble style”.  Most thought him to be an arrogant socialist who was committed to destroying the traditional Catholic church.  I guess the Muslims liked him because he kissed up to them but the faithful in the church could not wait for him to depart the scene.

As an outsider I will find the replacement rituals interesting.  He was working hard to make sure that there were enough socialist cardinals that when he was gone a boiler plate replacement would be installed.  I am one of those born again types who have repeatedly said that Roman Catholics were Christians.  I do not mark the Romans church as the anti-Christ.  I hope that they will recover from this setback.  I am not sure that they can survive another Francis.  I can only hope and pray that there is another John Paul in the wings.

Pray for the Catholics.

homo unius libri

Opus 2025-208: Free Corn

The church I attend has a lot of old-timers who have put meat on the table by hunting.  They know how to deal with deer.  They know how to hunt them.  One guy talked about how when he bought his new house he set it up in such a way that he could look out through the window and see the feeder for deer that he had in his yard.  He kept it supplied with corn.  The deer came and ate there.  It was free.  It was plentiful.

It could also be deadly.  I guess he never really got into harvesting deer but he shot at least one.  It worked well for him.  It worked well for the deer that didn’t get shot. I  asked didn’t they avoid the place after one of them was killed?  The answer was no they kept coming back.  I guess there aren’t the brightest of animals.

The same can be said for those who keep returning to the trough of Socialism.  Free stuff.

And deadly.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-316: Lessons My Government Taught Me

As we look at the recovery efforts in Asheville, we need to think in terms of politics.  I’m not talking about the small politics of Trump versus Harris.  I’m talking about the big politics of big government socialism versus small government free enterprise.

One of the major problems causing death and destruction to continue in Asheville is government regulation.  The federal government wants to flex his muscles and be in charge.  They want to tell you what to do and what not to do.  They put people in charge who have ego problems from feeding out of the government trough for so long.  This keeps recovery from happening.  This is just one example that is very fresh in our minds about how government regulation, often, if not usually, keeps progress from happening.

I’m sure you’ve all heard the illustration of where we would be in transportation today if the federal government had been able to regulate the development of the automobile.  First they would have required the preservation of the horse herds and blacksmiths.  I’ve seen cartoons of horses wearing diapers, methane collectors and a host of other requirements that the EPA and OSHA would come up with.

A good example of the difference would be to look to California before the current communists took over.  I believe it was back in 1971 or 1972 when a big earthquake hit and took out a major intersection to the north of the Los Angeles basin.  Multi levels of the interchange were destroyed.  It had taken years to build, and they were predicting that it would take years to repair or replace.  Somehow, someone was able to relax all of the regulations and allow the American free enterprise system to work and the interchange was rebuilt in just a few months.

We could see that kind of recovery in Asheville.  We could see it with our broader economy.  We could see the national debt paid off.  We would see all kinds of miracles taking place if the government would just get rid of the regulations and let people do their jobs.

Of course, that’s just my opinion.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-313: The Proliferation of Bananas

I’m sure that by this time you have heard people indicate that the United States is sinking into being a Banana Republic.  This is because our political leaders, the ones who are in control, are doing away with the rule of law, property rights, freedom of speech, and any other so-called guaranteed right that we had.

You may not be feeling it yet.  You may wonder what they’re talking about.  Banana republics are established by tyrannical despots.  It may start small and local.  As they limit your options, they begin to gather all the riches into their own coffers, and leave you sitting in a house with a leaky roof, no electricity, and if you have water, it’s polluted.  Of course they don’t live that way.  In a free economy it is not necessary for anyone to live that way.  But they’re quite happy to allow you to live that way so that you will know your place.

It starts with a banana republic government.  It moves to a banana republic economy.  Eventually it will reach you and you will pay the price.  Be careful about the tendency to allow other people to pay for your benefits.  Eventually, as Margaret Thatcher, said, the socialist will run out of other peoples money.  When that happens, you will either be forced into public transportation, pedaling a bike, or walking.  I don’t know if you’ve ever been forced to use any of those modes of transportation, but they are certainly far below your own personal automobile in convenience and comfort.

Again, the elites won’t care.  They will live in very comfortable states protected by armed guards and never running out of bonbons.  You on the other hand will be lucky to get bananas.  They are working on that too.  I understand one of the things that will be in short supply during the freight disruption is bananas.  

As bananas go, so goes the republic.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-239: Averages

I recently watched some Clickbait of an interview with RFK Junior.  One point stood out of my mind.   He commented that the average cost of a home in America has gone from $200,000 to $400,000.  I can’t remember how long ago he put the $200,000 figure so let’s focus on his comments about this.

He said that this average price of $400,000 makes it impossible for our children to own homes.  That sounds really scary.  It is meant to sound scary.  We were supposed to internalize it.  We were supposed to think of the greedy banks and the greedy builders and the greedy, sellers, etc.  We are supposed to run to the government for solutions.  Keep in mind he is still a Democrat.   But let’s think about this moment.

When you talk about averages, in case you weren’t listening in statistics, there are three basic types, the mean, the mode, and the median.  Each one has a different meaning, and each one may come out totally different using the same database.  Most people think of average as adding all of the dollar prices of homes, dividing by the number of homes, and you come out with an average.  OK.  That’s what most people think of as average.  If you’re thinking of an average looking guy or gal, then it’s someone that doesn’t stand out either way.

So we have an average of $400,000 for a new home.  Actually, he didn’t even say new home, I don’t think.  What that means is that half of the homes in the country are over $400,000 and half the homes in the country are under $400,000.  The thing that determines the cost of the house is quality, size and location.  If the average price of a home is $400,000, that means that there are plenty of people out there that are willing to pay $400,000 per house.  It also means that half the population buying houses is willing and able to pay more than $400,000.  It doesn’t mean that there are no affordable homes on the market.

What will keep our children from owning homes?  The willingness to live in what they can afford is the biggest factor.  There are homes that are available at low price but they are not located where our children want to live.  They may not have the amenities that our children think are requirements to live with.  They not may not be cute and modern.  They may need work.  That’s a long way from saying our children can’t afford homes.

You need to keep in mind that when someone like RFK says this, they are speaking from a socialist or communist perspective.  One of their goals is the redistribution of wealth.  Of course, they mean your wealth, not theirs.  One of their solutions to this cost problem is to put a cap on the cost of homes and introduce rent control.  Or if you watched Dr. Zhivago you’ll find that it means moving poor people into all the bedrooms in your mansion.  If you are single or have no children at home then that means the solution is move two more families into your house for those extra two bedrooms.  This is not free enterprise.  This is not liberty.  This is not American.

Beware of wolves in sheep’s clothing.  I didn’t make that up. I heard it somewhere.  RFK has endorsed Donald Trump.  Politically for Donald Trump that may be a good thing.  If Donald Trump keeps him under control and doesn’t listen to him outside of the areas where he seems to understand what’s going on, then well and good.  He can be a good influence.  But we need to remember that he offered his services to the Democrats shortly before he came to the Republicans.  His intentions are not pure.

I have not done a detail study on RFK, and what I have heard I don’t remember my sources, so take what I say with a grain of salt.  What I remember hearing is that on anything that does not have to do with covid, vaccines, and the collusion between the government and the pharmaceutical industry he is a raging liberal.  As a raging liberal, he will use the camels nose under the tent to come in and get in the sleeping bag and try to dictate who starts the fire and what we have for breakfast.

If you’re looking for a house under $400,000, come to Texas.  Moved to West Virginia. There are many other areas where there are decent neighborhoods that have more affordable housing.  Don’t decide that you want to live in Manhattan or downtown San Francisco and complained about the cost of housing.  Also don’t fall for $400,000 politicians and their promises.

homo unius libri

Opus 2023-199: The Power of Dreams

All these socialists who want central power and wisdom to direct every area of our lives see themselves sitting on the committees and behind the power desks.  They see themselves telling us we need to take the bus, ride bicycles and walk while they travel in chauffeured limousines and fly in private jets.  After all, they need to be sharp to make the right decisions and they do know what is best for us.

I am reminded of the countless junior high boys who felt they did not need an education because they were going to be the next Michael Jordan or Shak.  It didn’t do any good to point out the total number of professional basketball players was smaller than the number of future Jordan’s that dreamed just in our school district.  The modern socialists have as much chance of being behind that desk as the ignorant little boy who is too lazy to practice has of being in the NBA playoffs.

But they keep hoping.  That is why they continually say, “That wasn’t real socialism.”  What they mean is, “I was not in charge.”  When you are in charge of the police state then you are free to consider it a success.  Anyone who disagrees with you gets a ticket to the gulag or a chance to be a target at the CRT shooting gallery.  

It reminds me of my granddaughter when she gets in one of those moods.  They come more regularly as her vocabulary grows.  She sets out to tell the adults in the room just what should be done and how it is to be done.  It was kind of cute the first time but we recognized that it was an attitude that needed to be nipped in the bud or we would have an ex-Twitter employee on our hands one day.  That won’t work because we don’t have a basement for them to live in and I am not known for my compassion.

I think the best solution is that brilliant suggestion I have seen in memes.  Socialist dreamers should be given a one-way ticket to the socialist paradise of their choice.  Give them a few candy bars to tide them over but search carefully to make sure they don’t have one of your credit cards or any traveler’s checks hidden away.  They will be welcome back when they have saved up enough for the ticket, first and last month’s rent and food until their first pay check.

I would be glad to drive them to the airport.

homo unius libri

homo unius libri

Opus 2023-022: Headlines: Well of Course They Did

The saga of socialism continues in Brazil.  Like all leftist takeovers the headlines keep getting worse.  This one is from days ago when the defeated candidate fled to the United States to try to keep from being thrown into jail for losing.  Can you say Shah?

At the end of the article it talked about how Big Brother Tech stepped up to clean up any evidence on the internet that people were unhappy.  Sound familiar?  I would ask if they will ever learn but it is really us than needs to pay attention.

Say what you want about the so-called robber barons of the 19th century, they never tried to pull a fraudulent election and kill all the opposition.  They also provided lots of jobs and lowered the cost of what they produced.  We could use a few real capitalists instead of the crony types we have today.

homo unius libri

Opus 2022-334: Getting What You Wish For

There are times when I wish that America reflected the hate filled vision of racism and bigotry that is portrayed by the left.  They would have been the first ones to be lined up and shot.  Of course it would have never come to that because they would not be on their pedestals.  They would have been brainwashed and beaten into silence and cooperation long ago.  It is possible that they would not have even survived to grow up.  They would be in those photos of mindless sheep giving the Nazi salute.  

I am afraid that when they achieve their Utopia it will be the same.  We will be first but the commissars will eventually come for them.  

That is the witness of history.  In the spectrum of socialist philosophy they eventually come and eat their own.

What comes next is the question.  Will this finally be the last days before the return of Christ?  Are the prophecies of Daniel and Revelation just around the corner?  Is the Beast already gathering his disciples?  I am hoping for a pre-trib rapture, how about you?

homo unius libri

Opus 2022-230: On the Street: Enjoying My Freedom

As I have been reading and studying I found myself wondering how life would be different if our overlords of the Progressive Left ever get their wish.  I began to reflect on my typical morning:  I get up, spend time in worship and study, have breakfast, walk, do a bit of work and take a shower.

Sounds okay.  How would that change if the Biden controllers get their way?

Let’s start at the beginning.  Under the socialist regime I would not wake up in my own home.  I never read or watched Doctor Zhivago but one of the vignettes that I have heard describes how he returned to his large home after the Communists were in charge.  Instead of the house he left he is assigned one room.  The rest is given out to the proletariat.  Goodby home.

I would also be up and out on the governments schedule, probably eating at a common table out of a common pot.  There would be none of this worship nonsense and instead of a retirement check I would be assigned a place to contribute my work to the people.  Also, you can forget the air conditioning.  

I would not be able to walk safely.  Not only would the thieves and murders be running loose but the Gestapo thugs would feel free to stop me, ask for my papers and haul me to jail because I did not button my shirt all the way, or because I didn’t have a shirt with buttons.  I would not have a hot shower.  I would be totally stifled.  

Welcome to Utopia, or at least Utopia for the leaders of the party.

Keep in mind that the center concept of Communism is to get it for yourself at the expense of everyone else.  I know that is not how they market it but inside every Marxist mind there is this little voice that says, “I am one of the special ones.  Everyone else is below me.  In the end I will emerge with all the toys.”

What these precious special people don’t understand that under Communism they are always expendable.  The execution of previous bright lights was a regular occurrence in the Soviet Union.  Make note,

“And the first detachment of killers, those Chekists and convoy guards and also some thieves, who had participated in the ‘Kashketin executions,’ were also shot soon afterwards as witnesses.
    “In 1938 Kashketin himself was awarded the Order of Lenin ‘for special services to the Party and the government.’  And one year later he was shot in Lefortovo.” page 390

You don’t read that in the Communist Manifesto.

Solzhenitsyn, Aleksandr I.  Translated by Thomas P. Whitney.  The Gulag Archipelago, Vol 2.  New York:  Harper & Row, Publishers, 1973.

homo unius libri

Opus 2022-216: The Show Must Go On

The January 6 “hearings” are frightening, or they should be to average Americans.  They are right out of the Communist play book.  That is why you see the term “show trial”.  It is used historically to refer to the series of trials put on by Stalin in the Soviet Union around 1937.  They were done with great theater and attention of dramatic detail.  They were widely publicized and made open to the public and the media.  They were all circus and no justice.  

Aleksnandr Solzhenitsyn goes into a lot of detail as he describes them.  One of the things that stood out to me was this statement.

“The only witnesses heard were those of the prosecution.  Defense witnesses were not permitted to testify.”  p. 351

You would wonder if he was talking about 1937 or 2022.  Welcome the Amerika as morphed by the Democrats and Rinos.  You may not be able to change the clown show but you can wake up and stay that way.  Keep in mind that wake and woke are not the same thing.

Solzhenitsyn, Aleksandr I.  Translated by Thomas P. Whitney.  The Gulag Archipelago, Vol 1.  New York:  Harper & Row, Publishers, 1973.

homo unius libri

Opus 2022-186: More Than Baby Formula

We are watching the Proregressives* destroy our country.  I was going to say “slowly” but that does not seem to apply.  They are working quickly.  The destruction is in any area they can reach and push their agenda.  We recently saw the Republicans in the Senate jump on board to deny us the rights “guaranteed” by the second amendment, but that is not my theme in this post.  I have recently discovered that supply chain issues are real.

We are all aware of bare spots on the shelves at grocery stores.  So far I have been able to get want I want either by coming back the next day or making a substitution, but we are seeing the selection and surplus become a thing of the past.

It is not just groceries.  Recently I ordered some Pro Club T-shirts from a store in Las Vegas that I have used before.  My son had a yearly computer conference and I would tag along.  It gave me a chance to stop by and stock up on what I wanted or needed.  I have never ordered on line but decided I would not be back in person so I took the plunge.  My order ended up being cancelled.  They called me and said they were not able to get the merchandise I wanted and did not know when new stock would come in.  

For me it was an inconvenience.  I am not close to going naked or freezing to death.  If things get desperate I can start wearing the shirts my local physical therapy clinic gives out.  There are all kinds of cheap substitutes.  I will live.

For the retailer it is a problem.  The people I ordered from have a small store in a strip mall.  They have a good customer base but every time they fail to meet a request they risk losing a customer.  Every time you cancel an order it effects your bottom line.  Frustrated customers do not pay the rent.  I hope they can find a way to survive.

For the manufacturer it is a disaster.  They build a brand and a loyalty over time.  When customers find alternatives they may not be back.  It is hard to recover.  It is similar to the way in which I switched the soft drink choices I make because the big names had gone woke.  I found out that the local store brand was just as good so even if they have an epiphany of values I will not be going back.

It isn’t just a jostling for control and power of the elites.  Lives are being destroyed because the means of supporting your family are being sacrificed on the altar of socialism.  There is little I can do about a store front in Las Vegas.  What I can do is try to support the local businesses that are trying to stay alive.  

November is coming.  Elections are important.  Paraphrasing something a guy named Hugh Hewitt once said, “If we win big enough, they can’t cheat.”  Actually they can but if enough of us show up and get angry enough they won’t be able to cheat enough to steal another election.

And don’t waste my time telling me that they honestly won the last one.  You are better than that, I hope.

homo unius libri

Opus 2022-081: On the Issue of Wealth

What is the moral high ground in economics?  We are constantly bombarded by the Marxist rhetoric of redistribution of income.  It is watered down and disguised but all this talk about how rich people are evil is part of the Communist desire to put all wealth in the hands of the state and their elite cronies and make it impossible for the average citizen to accumulate wealth.

Some wolves wearing the sheep’s mantle of being Christian thinkers will go along with this idea.  As someone said, “You can prove anything you want out of the Bible.”  It cannot be done honestly but it can be done.  One of their favorites pushing Communism is,

(Act 2:44 KJV)  And all that believed were together, and had all things common;

They totally ignore such things as,

(Gen 25:10 KJV)  The field which Abraham purchased of the sons of Heth: there was Abraham buried, and Sarah his wife.

There are many references to owning property and doing business in the Bible.  When there is a problem it is not with the concept of making a profit but cheating or defrauding in order to benefit.

C.S. Lewis makes this observation in a chapter called “Social Morality”,

“There is one bit of advice given to us by the ancient heathen Greeks, and by the Jews of the Old Testament, and by the great Christian teachers of the Middle Ages.  All these people told us not to lend money at interest; and lending money at interest - what we call investment - is the basis of our whole system.”  p. 85

He goes on and discusses that this might be just the private money lenders that would squeeze the poor.  I think he is right is that because of Jesus and His parable of the talents.  Toward the end he says this,

(Mat 25:27 KJV)  Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury.

I would not build a doctrinal statement on this but it does have something to say about investing at interest.

Our current version of capitalism may conflict with Christianity but like the Bible comments on wealth it isn’t the system of joint-stock investments but the willingness of people who use the system to enrich themselves while adding nothing.  I think of terms I have heard such as “corporate raiders” and “hostile takeovers” and such.  What they do may be legal but it is not moral.

As always, don’t just take the word of gurus.  Do your own reading and thinking.  Everything cannot be explained in a twenty second sound bite.  

Lewis, C.S.  Mere Christianity.  Norwalk, Connecticut:  The Easton Press, 2002.  

homo unius libri

Opus 2021-047: Out in the Open

What you see on the left if not hypocrisy but transparency.

They are not being hypocritical.  They really do believe that truth is dependent on advancing the Proregressive* agenda.  They believe in the Golden Rule which can be understood either as “He who has the gold makes the rules,” or “Do unto others, then cut out.”  This is a sincere mindset.  Get used to it.  You are not important.  You do not even rate the label of “human”.  They are on a mission.

And they are simply trying to be transparent.  It is always amazing how terrorists can tell you what they want to do, books can be written laying out the roadmap, celebrations break out spontaneously at some atrocity and so many Americans still say, “They don’t really mean it.”  Yes, they do.  When the media stand in front of a burning building and declare the protests are mainly peaceful and then celebrate throwing people who trespass into prison they are being very clear in what they believe and what they will do.

By now you should have seen the trip AOC took to Miami and the maskless partying she indulged in.  One article is found at the Daily Mail.  Keep in mind that this is not hypocrisy, it is transparency.  It is an often repeated verse in the Liberal National Anthem, “Do As I Say, Not as I Do.”

Keep in mind because they care about us and know what is good for us.

*(Liberals, educators, the media, socialists, communists, crony capitalists, elites, Rinos, Democrats, leftists, Never Trumpers, Antifa, BLM, MSM, Deep State, etc.  Synonym for swamp dwellers)

homo unius libri

Opus 2022-003: Eliteicrom Variant

The minions of Communism think they are safe.  They are in for a rude awakening.  The thug attacks on expensive shopping areas are an indication of what is coming.  If they had been paying attention they would have seen pictures of notes stuck on windows proudly informing the rioters that the owner of the business is on their side.  Of course the note is attached to a window that is shattered in front of an empty display.  Criminal thugs, rioters and Communists don’t stop to consider your feelings, or it could be that they just can’t read.  Liberals think they are immune from the coming social holocaust just as they think that a mask makes them immune from a virus.

This is nothing new.  It is a characteristic of socialist thinking.  In his 1944 discussion of socialist thinking, F.A. Hayek said,

“If most people are not willing to see the difficulty, this is mainly because, consciously or unconsciously, they assume that it will be they who will settle these questions for others, and because they are convinced of their own capacity to do this justly and equitably.” page 243

Liberals are so out of touch with cause and effect that they think they will always be on top of the pile and the unwashed masses will be overjoyed at the willingness of their overlords to take an interest in their welfare.  

I can envision the theme song of these disillusioned fools when the van shows up to escort them to their next position in the hierarchy.  It is a song out of my past and it’s mantra is,

“They’re coming to take me away.”

I hope we are still here to wave to them as they pass.

Hayek, F.A.  The Road to Serfdom, Fiftieth Anniversary Edition.  Chicago:  University of Chicago Press, 1944, 1994.

homo unius libri

Opus 2021-251: Retro Shopping

Have you seen pictures of old time grocery stores and drug stores?  Merchandise is behind the counter and you are waited on by a clerk.  We may be moving back to that.  It may even get worse.  We may become like some banks.  We may install bullet proof glass with trays that move the purchases through the wall.  We may become like fast food locations with our dining rooms closed but the drive through working and delivery available.  It will be from Covid terror but because of the way in which the Proregressives* have undermined the rule of law and the social values that held us together.  

The snatch and grab going on in high roller stores is a result.  The looting jumped from riot demolished down towns to neighborhood drug stores and then to the sheltered world of the elites.  They thought they were immune.  They were wrong.  As the spawn of Democratic rulers take over the streets they will begin to hit all the stores in between.  They will travel to the suburbs to do their grocery “shopping” because the variety has not been decimated there yet.  Don’t expect them to pay when they check out.  

Amazon Prime may begin to use armored trucks because we have already seen some of their vans waylaid and emptied.  Grocery clerks may require armor and weapons to do their job.

I expect such nonsense in the blue states any day.  I am hoping that the red states will allow their citizens to arm themselves and show the thugs the error of their ways.

We live in Chinese interesting times.

*(Liberals, educators, the media, socialists, communists, crony capitalists, elites, Rinos, Democrats, leftists, Never Trumpers, Antifa, BLM, MSM, Deep State, etc.  Synonym for swamp dwellers)

homo unius libri