Truth or not – the cycle continues, so be prepared

Posted on 2016-07-10 by TPOL Nathan

By Nathan Barton

A frequent correspondent sent me a long list of headlines and links to various stories in the aftermath of the Dallas sniper(s) incident, pointing out claims of a FedGov-inspired “Summer of Chaos” ™ (Pending) and conspiracy claims and reports of Black Lives Matter ties with Islamists and all the rest, noting that he can’t begin to verify how much of it is true or not, but passing on concerns from many people.

Here is my response, which I think is worth sharing. Not just what is true or not, but what we need to do.

It is very difficult to figure out which of this is true and which is garbage, except that 90% of what is broadcast for “news” is probably garbage, including what Fox reports. Continue reading →

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And so it begins… ?

Posted on 2016-07-08 by TPOL Nathan

By Nathan Barton

How many people today remember the year 1968, and the violence which wracked the Fifty States (then, still, the United States, even if in a downward spiral of a century’s duration)? The protests and riots, the “barbeque” in DC, the shootings and killings and assassinations?

Probably time to brush up on history and remember it … and learn from it.

Thursday, 07 July 2016, is the next step onto the path that was followed in 1968, when society was “stronger” and there was a lot more trust. NewsTalk Radio 1290 reports of the “Black Lives Matter” protests which turned violent on Thursday night: eleven cops shot, five dead, and at least one of the people shooting cops dead by his own hand ending a standoff with the surviving cops.

Dallas: the place of death of one president, is again a battlefield.

The news, as always, is confusing and contradictory: the incident took place before 10 PM on a hot summer night. The reports are that two snipers engaged 10-11 police officers, including several transit police (not regular police forces).  Supposedly, three suspects are in custody and one is dead. Another person, of whom the Dallas police sent out photos (dressed in camo and carrying a rifle), has turned himself in and is apparently not one of the combatants. It appears that many people WERE armed on this march to protest police brutality.

There are rumors of bombs, of “lone wolf” attackers, and a lot more. What is clear is that conflict in society has escalated, and for the first time there appears to be an organized (and successful) attempt to engage a police force. The associations/affiliations of the people fighting the police are unknown. Were the shootings and killings a direct act of protest against the police brutality, or were they simply taking advantage of a massive protest and gathering, with easy targets? People are, of course, panicking.

Be prepared: remember that the police are armed to defend themselves, and NOT to defend you. You and your family and your neighborhood must be able, prepared and trained, to defend yourselves.

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What did we expect?

Posted on 2016-07-06 by TPOL Nathan

By Nathan Barton

Seriously.

I don’t know if anyone actually ran a poll asking the question, “Do you truly expect the FBI and/or Justice Department to indict Hillary Clinton for her breaking federal law with her ‘private’ e-mail antics?”

But I cannot imagine that ANYONE who understands even a little bit about American politics and the corruption of the FedGov woud have said “YES” to that question.

Not if they were honest. Of course, the GOP politicians and the talk-show hosts and a lot of GOP “conservative” pundits surely act like this was totally unexpected: you get the idea that they fully expected to see this harridan do a “perp walk” down the steps of a federal courthouse in DC or NYC or someplace. But then, I’d be stupid if I considered most of those people to be “honest.” Continue reading →

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Grassroots, Democrat style

Posted on 2016-07-06 by TPOL Nathan

by Nathan Barton

The GOP isn’t the only one with “grass roots” mania. I dunno; maybe the GOP are cattle and the Dems are sheep, or something like that. (Yes, I know I called the GOP grassroots sheep; maybe the Dems are goats. While a bit smarter, goats are still pretty dumb.)

But it is obvious, listening to the news day after day, that the Dems treat their grassroots about the same as the GOP does, like something that lives in the dirt, gets fed by fertilizer and watered whenever, gets eaten, excreted, and yet, always comes back, year after year. Essential, but easily replaced if you happen to overgraze one pasture. And the Dems have done that. The Wilson years, the FDR years, and the LBJ years all show that happening; they went out and found (or planted) a different set of grass. Continue reading →

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Grassroots, GOP style

Posted on 2016-07-05 by TPOL Nathan

By Nathan Barton

I’m seeing and hearing a lot of conservatives, mostly Republicans, who are taking action to try and “take back” the GOP at the local and state level, in Colorado, Wyoming, and South Dakota.

This seems to happen every election cycle. And as usual, it goes absolutely nowhere. Why is this? Because these “grassroots” members of the GOP do not understand their party, nor their role in it. There are many things to discuss, but it really is pretty simple. Continue reading →

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The Somme, Canada Day, and the Second and Fourth of July

Posted on 2016-07-03 by TPOL Nathan

By Nathan Barton

On the 1st of July, I wrote of the 100th Anniversary of the Battle of the Somme, and how it crafted the world in which we live in 2016.

Let me expand on that a bit.

The 1st was also Canada Day, which I grew up knowing as Dominion Day: the Canadian “equal” but not “equivalent” of the Fifty States’ Independence Day. For Canada did not “gain” independence; the day celebrated the creation of the Dominion of Canada, a confederation crafted by British politicians sitting in the Houses of Lords and Commons in London, an ocean away. Today, though far from being the old colony and staunch supporter of Queen and Country that it was (for instance, during WW1 and WW2), Canada is still a country made up of people who were a bit on the pioneering and bold side, but still mostly willing to let someone boss them around. And make sure that those of their number and in their society who did NOT want to be bossed around were dealt with, whether it was Louis Riel or the brave men of the Newfoundland Regiment and Division or those who sought more liberty and so moved south. Continue reading →

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A self-governor’s reflections on the Somme a century later.

Posted on 2016-07-02 by TPOL Nathan

By Nathan Barton

I’ve been there. I’ve seen it. I stood on the great Canadian memorial to their dead at Vimy Ridge, I saw the memorial with the names of 72,000+ dead whose bodies were never recovered at Thiepval. I have walked over and around the remnants of the fortifications and trenches, and the shell and mine craters. I’ve seen where 2,000+ Newfoundlanders died: one out of every five men in that colony (now province). And I have seen the rows upon rows in cemetery after cemetery, at Albert and Serre, where the white stones mark the graves of the dead. The horror and the ghostly stench was still there, 70 and 90 years after.

One century ago, today, 01 July 1916, the Battle of the Somme opened with British Imperial troops (with French Republican support) crossed the lines between trenches, following days of bombardment, to push the German Imperial invaders out of their trenches and out of France. The first day alone, of 100,000 attackers, just under 20,000 died and another 30,000+ were wounded. By the end of the battle, 4-1/2 months later (141 days), the British casualties alone were over 400,000. Total on all sides, dead, wounded, and missing in action were 1.3 million. The British gained six miles of territory. Land today worth very little, except for the lessons it can teach us. Lessons NOT being taught, or learned. Continue reading →

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Islamist threats to American cities?

Posted on 2016-07-01 by TPOL Nathan

By Nathan Barton

Is your city next?

Almost a year ago, I contemplated a brief article on Islamist threats to American cities, but never completed it. However, I’ve tracked such things anyway, for several years. Continue reading →

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The price of losing liberty – putting up with stupidity

Posted on 2016-06-30 by TPOL Nathan

By Nathan Barton

The decline into stupidity accelerated in the last few weeks, and continues to do so. There are two BIG examples: the reaction to the Orlando Massacre, and Brexit. Let’s talk about the massacre. The Orlando Massacre seems to have triggered some truly insane actions, and actually embedded in the stone that some people use for brains some memes that are idiotic and frightening for their complete disconnect to reality.

Consider FIRST the show business magazine Billboard. On their website, as on the cover of their print magazine, they have an “Open Letter to Congress.” I quote from the end of that missive: Continue reading →

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Government gone wild: out of the bedroom, into the bathroom

Posted on 2016-06-29 by TPOL Nathan

by Nathan Barton

Raw Story reports that New York City has joined the latest political fad, as their Council approves a unisex bathroom requirement.

“The New York City Council on Tuesday (last week) approved a law requiring single-stall public bathrooms to be gender neutral in a show of support for transgender people, the bill’s main sponsor said. The council voted 47-2 for the measure, which will take effect Jan. 1. Many New York City restaurants already mark their single-stall bathrooms without gender designations or as apt for both sexes, but the new law is meant to make the practice standard and recognize transgender people, Councilman Daniel Dromm said.’This sends a message that New York City supports the transgender community and understands the issue,’ Dromm said. A law passed by North Carolina that requires people to use the public bathroom matching their gender assigned at birth rather than their gender identity triggered wide criticism and led a parade of celebrity performers to boycott the state.” Continue reading →

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