By Nathan Barton
In the last commentaries, I’ve discussed the potential for expansion of the Fifty States – de jure and not de facto (as American forces straddle the globe today). In the last commentary, we looked at the politics and potential for adding new States in various ways.
Let us continue that discussion by zooming in on the Canadian Provinces as prospects for new American States.
By Nathan Barton
In a previous commentary, I discussed the FedGov acquiring Greenland from Denmark, much as (102 years ago) the FedGov bought the US Virgin Islands. While Greenland would almost certainly not be admitted to the Union (become a state), the VI (which has about 110,000 people, or about twice that of Greenland) has been content to be just a territory.
As I pointed out in the first article, none of these overseas territories are likely to ever be admitted to the Union, primarily because of population. Except for Puerto Rico (3.3 million), every other territory (even if Greenland were included) together barely come close to half a million people, including Guam, American Samoa, the Northern Marianas, and Wake. Many are uninhabited completely.
By Nathan Barton
Hong Kong is in the news a lot: protests have disrupted business and usual, and even shut down airline flights in and out of the former Crown Colony. The protests started several months ago, because Beijing was implementing new extradition procedures to pull “criminals” from Hong Kong to other parts of China for trial. (I say “criminals” because the Communist regime has no concept of “innocent until proven guilty” nonsense.) It isn’t the first time – there were protests five years ago over “election reforms” pushed by Beijing. These are becoming more violent. The normal 6,000 Red Army troops which occupy Hong Kong under the “one country, two systems” rule are being reinforced by as many as 15,000 more troops massing outside the special region.
I think that the days of Red China are numbered.
By Nathan Barton
I realize I keep harping on our growing epidemic of insanity. Call it nuttiness, bad headspace timing, craziness, weirdness, or whatever. I realize that we do get a lot more news about anything everywhere these days. Electrons are a lot cheaper than ink and column-inches on paper. There was lots of craziness in the “old days.” But it seems to be more prevalent in 2019 – even than four or five years ago.
Here are a few examples, just from one day this week:
Exhibit A:
Your ordinary average garden-variety fire extinguisher.
Now, let me ask you a question:
How many times have you actually used a fire extinguisher as it’s intended to be used?
Which is to say, you pulled the pin, pointed it at the base of a fire, swept it back and forth, and put the fire out?
I never have.
I’m guessing most of the people reading this never have, either.
Fires, thankfully, are pretty rare occurrences.
But they do happen sometimes.
Because of the risk of a fire, you see fire extinguishers everywhere.
They’re mandatory, in fact.
If a fire breaks out, and the fire department is minutes away, a fire extinguisher (and someone who knows how to use it) is your best bet.
Most fire extinguishers, thankfully, will never, ever be used. They’ll just sit there in their little holsters on the wall, quietly whiling their time away until they expire and are replaced.
But we keep ’em around just in case there’s ever a fire.
That’s the “point” of fire extinguishers. And I don’t hear anyone questioning it.
So I’m really not sure why people are questioning the “point” of the Second Amendment, even though it’s never been used as intended.
The Second Amendment is tyranny insurance, just like fire extinguishers are fire insurance.
Fires are rare, and so is tyranny—but not that rare.
As Ronald Reagan so sagaciously said, “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.”
Should a tyrannical government ever arise on American soil, or a foreign army invade the United States and the US military is stretched thin or annihilated or otherwise hampered in its response to the threat, the Second Amendment exists so that the people of the United States will be armed and ready to defend themselves and their liberty.
Has that ever happened?
Thankfully, no.
But the Second Amendment exists just in case it does. And responsible Americans keep their shooting skills sharp and their guns in good condition and accessible, should the eventuality ever arise.
Just like they keep fire extinguishers in good condition and accessible in case there’s a fire.
Nobody questions the need for fire extinguishers.
Why do they question the need for guns?
By Nathan Barton
Be sure to read part 1, or this won’t make much sense.
The FedGov, imperial or not, whatever our “objectives” are, needs to have nothing to do with China or Russia. Why? Why are they doomed? For geographic, demographic, and historical reasons. Which are the same reasons that the Fifty States – America – does not HAVE to be doomed.
By Nathan Barton
Recently, I talked about the insane behavior of too many politicians and lots of other people, including the mainstream media, with their ramped-up emotions, nutty phobias, and panic attacks when it came to Trump and guns.
But there are lots more insane acts (and actors) out there. And the usual suspects (the politicos, media, and Tranzis in general) are not one-trick ponies. They do lots of crazy things – and try to get people to do more.
Consider the New York Times (as shared with me by Laissez Faire). The paper’s editorial board declared the following:
“Given its economic, military and technological trajectory, together with its authoritarian model, China, not Russia, represents by far the greater challenge to American objectives over the long term.
“That means President Trump is correct to try to establish a sounder relationship with Russia and peel it away from China.”
By Nathan Barton
America, our Fifty States, has some serious problems. But it is important (if difficult) to remember that we have an incredible amount of blessings by living in one of the Fifty, even if it is a hideous city or some horrific frontier or rural area. We have accomplished so much over a historically-short time, because of a combination of many things, not least of which is our form of governing ourselves. No matter how bad it is (and how much more worse it is getting), it is still better than 99.9% of humanity had had to endure.
Still, I am often amazed how how few people understand that, and understand common sense and essential facts.
The screams of outrage echoing back and forth across the world (and especially the Fifty States) after the two insane and sickening, heart-rending bouts of murder in El Paso and Dayton is an example.
By Caitlin Johnstone
Two mass shootings have rocked the United States in less than 24 hours, leaving dozens dead and many more wounded. The first in El Paso, Texas was allegedly perpetrated by a white supremacist whose racist motives are outlined in a rambling “manifesto”, the second allegedly by a self-described “leftist” whose motives, like the 2017 Las Vegas shooter, are presently unknown. These incidents occurred a week after another mass shooting in Gilroy, California.
American expansion?
By Nathan Barton
By now, you may have heard that The Donald (Trump) is “obsessed” with the idea of the FedGov purchasing Greenland. It is presently a dependent territory (“autonomous country”) of the Kingdom of Denmark, as it has been for centuries. It has less than 60,000 people in 800,000+ square miles (largest island in the world, though 83% is “water’ (including ice in glaciers).
Although there are those talking about a 51st State, I think it insane to believe that Congress would approve a mere 60,000 people being a state, with two senators and one congressman. The advocates of Democracy (not just members of the Democratic Party) would scream and no doubt race violently into the streets against it. Almost certainly it would be a self-governing (mostly) territory like the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, or Guam. (At least stationing a few hundred Marines on it would not cause it to overturn like the idiotic congressman feared would happen to Guam.)
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