Solar power and demand in the States- liberty is possible

Posted on 2023-11-20 by TPOL Nathan

This is a technical article with a political and libertarian bent. Just warning you!

The FedGov Energy Information Administration (EIA – bureaucrats galore!) tells us: “Total U.S. electricity consumption in 2022 was about 4.05 trillion kWh, the highest amount recorded and 14 times greater than electricity use in 1950.”

4.05 trillion kWh or kWhr (kilowatt-hours) sounds about right. After all in 1950 we only had about 160 million people but now about 340 million or so today.. The average American home only used electricity for lights and maybe a radio and an iron back them. (Remember irons? radios?).

That 4.05 trillion is 4,050,000,000,000 kWhr, just to make it clear and easier to understand as we here at TPOL get older. FYI, for grins, the average cost is 23 cents/kWh. So that means that Americans paid $931.5 billion for electricity last year. That is only 1/7 of FedGov spending that year! What a bargain! Especially for something far more useful than the FedGov.

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Politics and Catholicism

Posted on 2023-11-19 by TPOL Nathan

Warning: the publishers of The Price of Liberty are christians, and that is perhaps the major reason we are lovers of liberty – free market anarchists. This commentary is very disparaging towards a denomination that believes itself to be part of “Christendom.”

The current pope, Francis II, again has created waves of controversy with remarks regarding a whole bunch of moral and ethical issues. The mainstream media, of course, is careful to publicize this. It is, admittedly, news. But it also gives the MSM yet another reason to bash so-called conservative Catholics and Catholics who love liberty. They are not with the program of the Vicar of Christ!

And even more recently, the pope has issued a pink slip to a bishop in southern Texas. Strickland is not only critical of Francis II, he is also an advocate of many conservative positions: against abortion, against homosexuality, against so-called gay marriage, and against divorce. How grateful Uncle Joe and the American political hierarchy should be that Francis II is so supportive of their political and religious agenda! That is clearly worth many battalions of internal security troops, to coin a phrase.

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Our masters and kill switches

Posted on 2023-11-18 by TPOL Nathan

Many people have hopefully seen Tom Woods’ commentary from last week about the next totalitarian mandate sliding down the slippery slope of the FedGov’s ever-more burdensome regulatory state. If not, read the whole thing here. You can ignore Tom’s usual sales pitch at the very end. But pay close attention to the parts of the debate on trying to get yet another foolish and dangerous mandate canceled.

Massie of course failed. So in the 2026 model year, all new cars (and presumably SUVs, pick-ups, and similar vehicles will have kill switches installed. These will be programmed to monitor a driver’s performance and behavior and shut down the vehicle if the software determines (based on auto manufacturer and government decisions) that the driver is unsafe. For more detail, see Eric Peters’ series of articles, and go back two years to the Daily Caller article by Bob Barr.

This isn’t something installed to keep a drunk driver from starting and driving off in a car. This isn’t a warning “assistance” system to make us more alert behind the wheel, or warn us of a hazard.

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One more nail in the coffin of the FedGov

Posted on 2023-11-17 by TPOL Nathan

Today, 17 November 2023, yet another “CR” (continuing resolution) extends Uncle Joe’s spending and borrowing spree for another few weeks. A “clean CR” – we see it as yet another dirty example of the uncontrollable lust of Congress and the entire FedGov for spending money and stealing more and more from taxpayers, present and future.

Without a doubt, the only way that the Federal debt can ever be paid off is with hyperinflation, in which the cost of a 20-ounce Coca-Cola (already double the cost of just three or four years ago, now at $2.50 a bottle) will be somewhere between $10 and $50. If we are lucky.

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Growing chaos in American cities

Posted on 2023-11-16 by TPOL Nathan

A wave of crime swept over Memphis, Tennessee early this week, as crowds of looters and vandals swept into convenience stores, stopped semi-trucks to break into and loot parcels, and otherwise abuse owners, workers, and customers. Labels as “America’s most violent city,” videos of the night in Memphis show the actions of masked and unmasked criminals.

While Memphis may be the “most violent” it is far from the only major urban area in which criminal acts are increasing. San Francisco tried to clean up its streets for the big Pacific Summit featuring Uncle Joe and a guy some describe as Joe’s best buddy (President Xi of Red China), getting rid of human and animal feces, drug paraphernalia, homeless tents and trash, and of course muggers and other human predators. And apparently failed, despite millions of bucks: foreign journalists were robbed at gunpoint. No doubt dozens of stores and other businesses continued to suffer theft, vandalism, and worse during the summit – but the mainstream media don’t bother to report such “petty crimes” now that California and San Francisco have all but decriminalized so many things.

In Las Vegas, eight high-school “children” age 13-17 have been arrested for murder in the beating death of another high school student left braindead and dying in the hospital. He reportedly stood up for a smaller friend in a dispute over a pair of headphones. As many as fifteen students may have attacked the dead boy. It is likely that every one of the accused “children” will be back on the street and in school in days, if not hours.

It seems to be a downward spiral, speeding up as we watch. Why?

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Give the (old) DC a tiny kudos?

Posted on 2023-11-14 by TPOL Nathan

Well, that metrosexual Zelensky has proclaimed that Ukraine shall not have elections next year. His excuse is that Ukraine’s constitution does not permit elections in wartime.

Of course, this is even more proof of the worthlessness of Ukraine’s governmental system, even by the (ridiculously poor) standards of Western governments. A “democracy” without elections? Really? Just one step closer to “President for Life” Zelenskyy?

Why do we say “kudos” (even if very tiny ones) to DC? Not sure about the present regime of Uncle Joe, but the FedGov has not attempted to cancel elections in the nearly 250 years of the formerly United States.

Not even in the desperate times of 1864.

Nor in 1918, under the far from benevolent and so-called progressive tyranny of Woodie Wilson.

Nor in 1944, even though FDR was unable to hide his own growing frailty.

Of course, by today’s standards, FDR and Wilson are both old fuddy-duddy white guys who were just barely out of the stone age and nowhere near “progressive” or Woke enough. Of course, the modern Social Justice Warriors and Work enemies of liberty know better.

For example, they know that they don’t have to cancel elections. Why?

Because they know better how to cozen Americans into selling our liberties for a bowl of (rotted) porriage. And how to doublespeak.

We don’t have to cancel elections today in the Fifty States – they just have to find new and “better” ways to steal elections the good old American way: lying, cheating, computer fraud, and hacking – and of course, intimidation and veiled threats of (gentler and kinder) mayhem.

So I guess my main question at this point is just which Americans (or other reps of the FedGov) are advising the Ukraine regime? Why can’t that nation pretend to be a “democracy” at the same time as it is more and more a tyranny? Like DC does?

Inquiring minds want to know!

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Are you up for a fight?

Posted on 2023-11-13 by TPOL Nathan

Recently had a correspondent share an interesting video from Armed Attorneys regarding a man prosecuted in Maryland after stopping a mass shooting. Although this took place over a year ago, this 7-minute video is definitely worth watching and sharing, especially for people who travel a lot.

He did not even use his handgun to stop the would-be killer, but told the responding police that he was carrying and had a concealed carry lisense. Unfortunately, it was from Virginia. He was in Maryland, and that State does not recognize Virginia’s CCW. (Or ANY State, according to USCCA.)

Floyd Muldrow, a Marine (not on active or reserve duty), was charged with a misdemeanor for carrying in Maryland. Yeah, the police were being turkeys.

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Veterans Day thoughts

Posted on 2023-11-11 by TPOL Nathan

Publisher’s Note: Work, travel, and vehicle troubles kept us from posting much this week, as we here at TPOL were afraid might happen. But with travel behind us for at least a few weeks, and keeping a good handle on work that pays us! Yea!, we expect to return to a regular schedule. Or something close.

The disgusting nature of worship of the military is at fever pitch this week, culminating on Saturday, 11 November 2023. After today, hopefully it will settle down to a slow simmer. And it will be easier to stomach. The company most of us here at TPOL work for uses the US Army ACU (Army Combat Uniform) as our field uniform for doing testing: the US Army tape is replaced by a WASTELINE tape, but the safety features of the uniform and its gear serve well when in the field whether doing air sampling or soil testing or dealing with stormwater and reclamation and other things. But people seldom bother to read the name tapes or look at the insignia on our shoulders carefully – or assume that the blue and white shield is some military unit. So this time of year we get, frankly, fawned on. As a veteran, I find it disturbing. My sons, as sons of a veteran, find it even more so. And as a veteran whose active and reserve duty included the post-Vietnam era, I find it weird and unsettling. As a historian (as well as an engineer) I know that such military worship can turn quickly into contempt, abuse, and hatred for the “baby-killers” and “earth-rapers.” Especially in the 21st Century.

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State borders – more imaginary lines? Why?

Posted on 2023-11-06 by TPOL Nathan

As could be expected, Democrats, “migrant activists,” and lots of other folks are really, really ticked off about Texan Governor Greg Abbott’s latest “stunt.” He has had Texan troops and police (Department of Public Safety) install triple-concertina barriers along a stretch of the Rio Grande in El Paso.

Not on its border with (Old) Mexico. Oh, no. On the border between the Republic (well, former Republic) and the State of New Mexico. And of course, Her Imperial Highness, Michelle Lujan Greshim, first of her line, is very vocal and absolutely furious about it. As are, on her behalf and that of the border jumpers (who may be inconvenienced by it), a lot of other folks. Including denizens of DC.

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Is “shoot to kill” safer than alternatives?

Posted on 2023-11-04 by TPOL Nathan

Many self-defense and combat instructors teach their students that when defending themselves against a personal attack, even a forcible entry or carjacking, the best response is to shoot at center-of-mass. In essence, shoot to kill the attacker. Do not attempt to wound the aggressor, do not attempt to scare the would-be killer or kidnapper or robber with a warning shot. Seek to kill them just as you would a mad dog or a striking rattlesnake.

What do you think, dear reader? As christians, it is a hard thing to do: Jesus teaches us to value life even here on earth. But at the same time, He taught that is not a sin to fight back with deadly force if you or others are attacked, even if your dwelling is broken into at night. It is a justified death, brought on by the felon’s own action in initiating force against you.

This came up in the context of juvenile carjackers in Washington, DC. That blight upon the face of the earth (and humanity, and liberty) is now (we are told) number 173 of 182 American cities for safety. Recent headlines were made when a federal security guard, off duty, shot and killed a person attempting to highjack his car. Why? The kid was only thirteen years old. As it turns out the dead “child” had nine charges of carjacking and robbery just in the past five weeks. A few of more than 750 carjackings in DC in the first ten months of this year, with 65% of those charged being “juveniles.” It is for the children, apparently! In the same week another carjacking ending in a fatal crash in which a 15-year-old girl was killed. She too had a long rap sheet. Carjackings in DC and elsewhere sometimes end in car chases and joyrides and crashes, sometimes ending in injury and death of innocent bystanders. The act of carjacking is sometimes followed immediately by the killing or beating of the driver and passengers.

But in DC and far too many other urban areas, even if the carjacker(s) are arrested and the car recovered, the perpetrators are often out on the street within hours. With court appearances scheduled (and apparently, the papers thrown out as litter) and ignored or delayed. And meanwhile, the would-be felons are back at their profession.

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