Conscription – ancient evil

Posted on 2023-10-07 by TPOL Nathan

Publisher’s Note: on the 14th of July of this year, TPOL published an article on the state of the American military. For some reason, the formatting was messed up on that, which made it appear to be a very lengthy article, but instead we ended up publishing two different versions of the the commentary. Our apologies. Attempts to fix it have not done any good. We mention this because this commentary is related to that one.

A reader contacted us off-line and had some suggestions of points to be made about the current state of the American military and specifically the history of conscription: The Draft, and how it relates to current problems.

In the two months plus since then, more reports have come out about the degraded state of recruitment, training, and lost of experienced military personnel. At the same time, politics has placed even more Woke general officers into positions with more authority to implement the Woke policies so damaging to the readiness and morale of American soldiers, sailors, Marines, airmen, guardsmen, and guardians.

And now more and more so-called conservatives are clamoring for – literally – brute force methods of “fixing the problem.” The draft features prominently for many.

In July, 1973 then-U.S. Secretary of Defense Melvin R. Laird announced the U.S. military would fill its ranks with volunteers, not draftees. In the last fifty years over 11 million volunteers have signed up, making the All-Volunteer Force a model recruitment process for the country. Or so the worshippers of the military, led by the Association of the US Army (AUSA), tell us.

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God, government, religion, and Disney World?

Posted on 2023-10-06 by TPOL Nathan

A few weeks back, a report at Business Insider tells us that some “pastor” participating in the Florida State government takeover of formerly somewhat-anonymous Disney World has quoted the Bible telling people “not to resist authority” even while government “strips worker’s park perks.”

Of course, to strip anyone’s perks – read “rights” – in business is verboten in today’s world. But even worse, this guy is claiming authority from the Bible for doing that. (Well, sort of: the headline is exaggerating this guy’s statement, as can be seen in the body of the story.)

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Do electric vehicles help protect the environment?

Posted on 2023-10-05 by TPOL Nathan

As the FedGov and other governments and environists around the world push to rid the planet of traditional fuel-burning vehicles, electric vehicles are their strongly-preferred choice.

For some reason, no one is promoting horses, oxen, camels, llamas, or reindeer to replace diesel- and gasoline-burners. We here at TPOL cannot imagine why.

Electric vehicles, we are told, are sustainable and prevent evils like manmade global warming (caused by producing too much carbon dioxide), destruction of ecosystems by drilling, pipelines, refineries, and waste disposal facilities. To say nothing of excessive consumption of water, production of smog, and generating obscene profits for Big Oil and its sisters.

On the other hand, electric vehicles (EVs) are clean and green. They produce none of these nasty impacts. They are, we are told, to be worshipped as saviors of the planet and humankind.

Or do they?

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Big Brother is alive and well

Posted on 2023-10-04 by TPOL Nathan

NOTE: This is being written before the Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA)/ Emergency Alert System (EAS) test message is sent out today at 1220 hour Mountain Time. It is scheduled to go out at 1800 hours MT as usual. Will it? Tell us!

The confused face of Uncle Joe is hardly what George Orwell had in mind regarding the glowering face of Big Brother in his instruction manual novel 1984.

The FedGov – FEMA in particular – is conducting the every-third-year test of its system to communicate directly with every person in these Fifty States that has a radio, a television or a cellular phone. (No information about whether the message will also go out via the internet.)

But that is what we have today, 4 October 2023. The FedGov now has the means to seize control of hundreds of millions of cell phones (even if they call them “wireless handsets”) to send a message to everyone in the Fifty States. Perhaps even those (like many of us at TPOL) who have their phones turned off. To communicate directly.

But…

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Is the human race in inevitable decline?

Posted on 2023-10-03 by TPOL Nathan

A commentary entitled “Humanity is going to shrink” recently crossed our desk here at TPOL. (Warning: most of the article is behind a type of paywall.)

At first, based on the headline, we thought we would agree: Inhumanity seems to be growing exponentially, so of course humanity – concern for one another, the ZAP or Golden Rule – is shrinking. Not just here in the States.

But of course, that is not what Noahpinion is pushing: in the grand (and sick) tradition of Malthus and Gore and other doomsayers, we are told that the number of humans will decline. Indeed, is already declining. And of course, that will result in a world of misery and even horror.

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The extinction of liberty and freedom?

Posted on 2023-10-02 by TPOL Nathan

Consider the following quote:

(We are not partisans of Ronald Reagan or his memory. But he did say some wise things, as have most American presidents – yes, even BSL (Uncle Joe) and Jimmy Carter. They are worth pondering.

This need to fight is nothing that can be scheduled, or restricted, or limited in any way. We must be ready at any time to fight to protect our liberty. IF we want our children and grandchildren to regain the freedom, the liberty, we have lost.

The enemies of our freedom, our liberty, are NOT limited to the Woke, so-called progressives, and left/liberal social justice warriors. We at TPOL call them Regressives because they want to return all mankind – especially Americans – to a time when tyrants ruled and the great mass of the people were slaves. In reality if not with the name or title.

In 160+ years, though we have found many elements of liberty denied our ancestors, we have slid back into a system of tyranny. In which our rulers – however selected – exercise more power, more control, more wealth, more dreams of greed, than any others in history. Yes, some called themselves gods, but we know that they had to understand they too would die. Would fall to disease, to enemies, even to family members. Today, with all the tools at their disposal (remembering that the tools are also generally available to lovers of liberty as well!), their dreams are beyond belief.

Greater threats to liberty, to freedom, require greater tools to fight those threats. Greater awareness, greater ability to plan and coordinate, and above all a willingness to pay a greater price for liberty.

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Giving a grade to political leaders: integrity

Posted on 2023-09-30 by TPOL Nathan

What do you, dear reader, think of the quality, the character, of various American political figures. Men and women who are or want to be political leaders. Are we crass enough to say they want to be “rulers” of the States and the people?

Are they any good? Do we agree that leadership is affected by a person’s character and identity?

Consider this one thing: What quality is a key mark of a leader’s character?

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The gerontocracy, old parties: Are we losing our liberty?

Posted on 2023-09-29 by TPOL Nathan

A few weeks back, during the still-unexplained loss of publication, The Price of Liberty published two commentaries about elderly politicians, elderly political parties, and elderly (and declining) regimes.

First we commented on the National Libertarian Committee filing petitions to obtain conservatorship over certain feeble and seemingly failing elderly politcians, here. We think that is an effort that will go nowhere,

Then (and belatedly after the above event) we published our thoughts on the old parties (Democrats and Republicans) and their “meat puppets” – elderly or ill or both people who are dangled in front of the real movers and shakers in the parties and the bureaucrats. Yet another example of shills and frontmen.

A number of comments (of the few that were able to view those posts) thought our use of the term “meat puppets” was derogatory. As it was meant to be – not of the people themselves (who, evil and corrupt and with black histories, are still humans) but of those who abuse fragile people for the sake of power and wealth. Is this an ad hominem attack? We don’t think so: these people are victims. Victims of other parasites who feast on the body politic and use aggression to gain more power and more wealth for themselves, their families, and their cronies. The elderly being abused now in DC (and far too many State capitals) almost certainly were of the same nature back when they were hale and healthy. But that does not excuse their treatment today.

Today, of course, it was announced that the 90-year-old Senior Senator of California died, despite voting just a few hours before. Our sympathy is to both her family on her loss and to California on her loss: since the exalted fuehrer of the People’s Republic has already made it clear that 95% of the people of California were not even considered to replace her: he had already made up his mind that her replacement was going to be a womyn of color. Perhaps the best of the best of womyns of color, but not the best of all Californians. One wag, we noted, suggested that the problematic VPOTUS might accept a downgrade and be appointed, letting the Democratic Party select someone else as a potential successor to Uncle Joe. Interesting, eh?

Maybe the Dems could also find someone to hold the former VPOTUS’ Power of Attorney at the same time – it is often claimed she needs some assistance if not as much as a 90-year-old in very poor health.

Now, maybe this is the time to ask “who is next?” As far as facing their Maker, now that this member of the gerontocracy has. We do wonder – and have just begun to see – what unforeseen stirring of pots might follow.

Let us think about giving liberty a chance, eh?

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Government funding of weapons training?

Posted on 2023-09-28 by TPOL Nathan

Late news: It is reported that the US House of Representatives voted 424 to 1 to overturn the provisions of the law which triggered this commentary.

The Cowboy State Daily reports that the Wyoming Game and Fish Department is reacting to federal agencies interpreting that federal statute (2022 Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA)) as banning federal funds going to teaching hunter/firearm safety and archery. Wyoming G&F is providing funds to schools in the State to pay for instructors and materials to do just that: teach school students hunter (and therefore, at least some gun) safety and how to hunt using a bow and arrows (safely, of course). That foolish law prohibits federal education funds from helping provide any person with a dangerous weapon or to provide “training in the use of a dangerous weapon,” but, according to the BSCA’s sponsors, was included to prevent ESEA funding for school resource officer training.

Most of the commentary appearing is bewailing the efforts of the current regime of Uncle Joe and his co-conspirators to restrict or take away our right to keep and bear arms. (Which extends, we note, to archery as well as riflery and use of pistols.) And destroy the gun culture and its sister hunting culture.

Now, all of this may be exactly what is going on. (Although the appointment of the VPOTUS, dear incompetent and hated woman that she is, to head the new gun control office makes us doubt the claimed motives.) But is that really the point?

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“Worshipping” the military and treating them like trash

Posted on 2023-09-27 by TPOL Nathan

Today, much of society seems to worship the military: “thank you for your service” and so much more is common, perhaps more than ever before, even in major wars. But at the same time, the way the military personnel are being treated is disgusting – especially on the part of government entities. We are reminded of Matthew 15:8: This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.

Now, we here at TPOL in no way support worshipping the military. We point out the hypocrisy of those who do – one of many, of course.

Fox News recently reported on a GAO report about living conditions on military installations, making 31 recommendations that DoD is expected to have to implement after inspecting 12 different (unnamed) bases and posts.

The litany appears to be damning. Those of us with decades of military service, in some cases going back 60 years and more, know that most of these problems with barracks (dormitories to USAF and USSF folks) have been around for a long time. Those of us who are historians and especially those who have been to and worked in historic military installations, from coast to coast, know these problems have been around for more than 150 years.

Which does not make them right, of course.

And not all of these problems are new. For example, the GAO found that there are homeless squatters who were found living in military barracks and dormitories. Even in the 1970s in hippie- and homo-infested San Francisco, security at the Presidio of San Francisco was sufficient that such was not a problem. (Yes, we did have other security problems, but not that.)

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