Yes. Unfortunately I can remember. Some of those things you can never forget. Also the memories come complete with not just the sights but the sounds and the smells. The smells are the worst.
You nailed it IMHO. Thanks!
Over the next few weeks we will see resignations by good police officers who have had enough. Imagine getting a meager to average salary and being asked to put your life on the line by wearing a blue uniform that literally becomes a target. Imagine being ordered to stand in front of and among thousands of angry protesters who can transform at any moment into a violent ...destructive mob. Imagine being around mobs of thousands people who are potential Covid carriers and are recklessly released from social distancing and lockdown rules so that they can protest and attend funerals that only days ago were limited to 10 people. Imagine being castigated for just doing your job, and then frantically called by the same castigators to come defend their property and their lives. Imagine being told by Mayors and media that the rioters, looters, and violent activists are correct in their actions and you are wrong.
Pay needs to be commensurate with the difficulty of the job....The job of policing has just become two or three times as difficult and much more dangerous. Triple the pay of our officers and triple the screening process for new recruits and all officers so that a few bad cops don’t play into the hands of the anarchists and give them fodder to destroy our nation.
I guess first off I need a definition of bones. I have no idea what that actually means.
Second, to use a medical analogy, suppose a person has metastasized cancer and is terminal but the bones are not affected, that person is going to die even though the bones are good. What to do? You have a wake and you bury the body.
If I am to assume you mean the bones are the constitution then I suggest you watch the video I posted of Bruce Fein with Chris Hedges. Fein is a constitutional scholar, a real one. G.W Bush is reputed to have said “Don’t throw the constitution in my face, it’s just a damn piece of paper”. Whether true or not I don’t think anyone can deny that the government operates outside the confines of that document.
Now on the subject of the founders one should realize that this country was founded by rich white guys for rich white guys. The constitution excluded Native Americans, Blacks, and women. It has taken many years to get an illusion of equality for blacks and women. (though one might argue women are more equal). The original inhabitants are still living in gulags robbed of just about everything. The original Articles of Confederation were far superior to the constitution. They ensured a loose union of independent states. Smaller entities are far easier to manage than a strong central government. The current view of this country you seem to hold is based more on myth than actual fact. The rich white guys are still in control and as Adam has stated have no intention of willingly giving up their position of privilege.
The history taught in schools is a joke. Numerous times I have suggested reading Howard Zinn’s “People’s History” to get an idea of the real history of what this country is about. The myth is powerful but one has to look under the skirt to see the reality. I posted up above about this silly idea of a “social contract”, so I won’t waste time going over it again.
A big part of the myth in which one hears the echo of Dubya saying “they hate us for our freedoms, is a joke. The idea that one cannot have freedom of speech in other countries is ludicrous. I have lived in other countries and criticism is alive and well around the world. According to this survey (there are many) the US ranks 17th in freedom. We may have changed a little thanks to Hong Kong. But thanks to George Floyd maybe not.
https://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/freest-countries/
Thanks to Edward Snowden we now know that the government knows the contents of every phone call, email, social media post etc, and they are stored in perpetuity. Does that make one free? Edward Snowden is living in Russia for telling the truth. Is he free? If I were in any number of countries I could walk into a chemist today and get HCQ no questions asked. In this country I can’t and a doctor could lose his license in some locales for prescribing it. Is that freedom?
It is only when one is able to objectively look at the facts of the US that one can then discuss any possibility of change. What we are witnessing is the end of empire. It is being hollowed out from the inside. The barbarians have been inside the gates and the looting is taking place right in broad daylight. Ben Bernanke’s company, Citadel a hedge fund got more money than any other entity while Joe Dokes was grateful to get $1200. Is that freedom? This is a modern day sack of Rome. The collapse is happening and social and wealth gaps are growing daily. The wealthy are setting up shop elsewhere. Peter Thiel bought himself citizenship in New Zealand which btw is freer than the US. The Bush’s have setup in Paraguay. Hell most US corporations moved offshore years ago.
This site is devoted to preparing for this eventuality. " Collapse now and avoid the rush” “Guns, Gold, Garden and God” have been mantras here for years. Clinging to the past will leave you in the dust. Just looking at a voting map it is crystal clear that the cultural divide is way too great to bridge. This in my view will eventually devolve into completely separate regions. California has next to nothing in common with Mississippi. New York is world’s away from Nebraska. This political entity is the text book definition of unsustainable. Thom Hartmann posits that the only way forward is to revert back to tribal society. Already on these pages there are people doing just that.
I don’t know anything about bones but I do know what I see. It’s a big club and we aint in it.
There are no political solutions to the human condition.
Enjoy the Lord’s day
I think the mistake Karen made is equating this thread to the rest of the site. The title of this thread is " As the world Burns." It is a topical thread. It is discussing current events. It is somewhat facile to think that this site functions in a vacuum devoid of any interest in what is going on in the world around us.
I have not found this to be a particularly right wing site. I have found a great deal of diversity in political opinion here. There is one salient point which I think needs to be made though. This is an extremely broad and deep site with many threads running concurrently. If you find a thread is not interesting or disturbing in some way it is perfectly reasonable to look elsewhere on the site. I do not find every thing here interesting or palatable. As a matter of fact there have been long stretches (years) where I have not read anything here. Currently my sense is that things are accelerating and the virus coverage has been beyond excellent. I have been regular here since Feb. Will I continue? Who knows but as long as I derive a value I will be here.
For new people to the site I suggest instead of just focusing on the “topic of the day” if you have issues with it there is a wealth of info in the archives.
MM-
Have you actually been to China? Lived there for any length of time?
That’s my only question.
I think this is a good and nuanced description of what ANTIFA is, is not and how those who claim to represent ANTIFA function.
https://www.adl.org/resources/backgrounders/who-are-antifa
Hey Mark_BC, I did watch the launch and I didn’t see a reply to your suggestion that it was
...an utter waste of resources...I wonder if there isn't something more to this, especially if the goal is more than
a hopelessly futile attempt to travel to and colonise the Moon and Mars, with no identifiable benefit other than to fill the egos of some ultra rich entrepreneurs...What is your take on the idea of having some human beings somewhere other than here, just in case, you know, something bad happens? I'm new here and still trying to wrap my head around resilience and just what that means and what it doesn't. I'm also curious about the resources space offers and if we should take advantage of them, if space does indeed offer resources.
So I am eating lunch and have a sec to waste before I go back to work and do something useful…
I took a good bit of time responding to you and thatchmo out of respect and civility. All you can do is come back with a snide question a junior high student might ask. FTR I actually told my wife I bet someone comes up with either “well why don’t you go somewhere else” or what about China or Russia. Predictable
But I will once again waste my time. No Dave i have never been to China nor do I have any desire to visit. Nor Have I been to Europe and have no desire to do so. I do have a very good friend who lived there teaching English. He loved it. He told me on the macro level it was communist but on the micro level in people’s daily lives it was more capitalist than the US. BTW you may wish to brush up on Mandarin because the next empire coming to your block will be speaking it.
It occurs to me often that when someone who cannot respond to a fact based argument will resort to changing the subject. ad homs and logical fallacies.
I lived in India for three years. I felt as free there as anywhere in the world. I lived in Costa Rica and the US does not even compare. As I stated if you would have read my post for comprehension the US is 17th. That does not qualify for best in my book.
So if at some point you wish to engage with me again I would hope you would display just a wee bit of respect just out of human decency.
If you should deign to do so might I ask you start with “what the hell are bones”?
Enjoy the rest of the Lord’s day
As fate would have it I just came across these two items. One is how FDR helped institutionalize segregation which has led to the huge wealth disparity between blacks and whites. It is a short and very succinct account of federal housing policies related to the situation we have today. Damn if history doesn’t just come back and bite you in the ass.
https://www.npr.org/2017/05/03/526655831/a-forgotten-history-of-how-the-u-s-government-segregated-america?fbclid=IwAR0kSJfF_wOVtCtLGHkv82GeiZzQ-uaGIpzGCaduQ1nZ2fkTiMN862KMzBQ
This next is not something I think a white surburbanite preteen would experience.
https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2020-05-28/george-floyd-central-park-familiar-terror-they-inspire?fbclid=IwAR3i3kUYvRgxTSPpkBowM0YDu3T-fkyYxp2oXhJNzIqkXLrfDTvo8KXVv4o
Just some rambling thoughts on your questions, MM. By “bones”, I was envisioning, the Constitution, Bill of Rights, Declaration, you know, all that High School stuff which is obviously, by many opinions, dead and in the ground already. But I’m also thinking in terms of a currently functioning system- economic and social- flawed and corrupt as they may be. In this moment, for a while yet hopefully, that allows us to have some function as Citizens to take actions we deem worthy of our effort. We, mostly, have food, shelter, and energy. For now. Petitioning the gov’t: I’ll assume it was gov’t entities that set term limits for elected officials, establishment of the Fed, rules dealing with lobbyist activities, election funding laws, and may other myriad obscenities. I’ll assume proper pressure by Citizens might correct some of that. Citizens United might need a different approach…A goodly number of people are hitting the streets- voila!- Congress writes a new Law enforcement bill in a few days (for better or worse- time will tell). But you tell me my request to emplore millions of “idle” Citizens to take a few minutes to petition their critters is a useless waste of energy. I get it: your experience and gathered information has, from what I can tell, caused you to give up on our Nation/gov’t. and call it quits. Your choice, nothing wrong with that. I’m writing this not to convince you, but to help myself sort out my thoughts (sorry PPers!). I’m certainly preparing for the worse, myself. I also keep in mind the comments of other prominent folks that indicate that the 1% are also getting worried about present conditions of the 90%. Perhaps that will help sway things to the better. Deep State? Who knows? Appreciate your posts, hope you had a good lunch. I’m off to work…No one knows the future…Aloha, Steve
“If you do not take an interest in the affairs of your government,
then you are doomed to live under the rule of fools.”
Aloha, Steve.
I’ve clarified my comments, hopefully. So if you please, what are your thoughts on replacing our current situation? Feral/Tribalism? Something else? Respectfully, queryed. Aloha, Steve.
For new people to the site I suggest instead of just focusing on the "topic of the day" if you have issues with it there is a wealth of info in the archives.If you can locate this admittedly rich source of information. I understand that Adam and Chris are working on some site upgrades that will take some time yet to implement. Yes, there are the tabs above to "The Crash Course" and "Resilience". But in our new members' defense, this wealth of information is difficult to locate in any organized or logical manner.
Hi - new member here who is very thankful to have stumbled on this site. Back in January I could not figure out why the WHO was stalling on information…well my perception and faith in the WHO and a lot of other systems was confirmed by the wealth of data found on this site. For that I’m grateful. I’m waiting patiently for site upgrades only because the content here is so good. I did plant a garden several months ago, but even finding the information on this took time within the site (and this was with Chris “pushing” the idea at the end of numerous videos). Thank you for all you do #imafan
Time for a victory lap among the faithful “remnant”? Somehow I find this whole episode sad, and we’ve lost yet another member. Well, good riddance–right? Karen apparently wasn’t “like-minded” enough, and therefore certainly not salvageable as a member of the PP community. Look through the threads and you’ll see other PP members have cast issues and their opinions in the left vs. right paradigm without the kind of push-back that KarenC received.
There are other, more productive and compassionate ways to communicate about differences of opinion or transgressions of the PP rules and guidelines (which seem to be unevenly applied at times), rather than piling-on a member of the PP community and giving them a nice “burn” on their way out the door. Way to go! 
(((Group hug!)))
Did you really need to make two posts about this? Really?
Res nolunt diu male administrari.
In his essay regarding the law of compensation:
This law writes the laws of cities and nations. It is in vain to build or plot or combine against it. Things refuse to be mismanaged long. Res nolunt diu male administrari. Though no checks to a new evil appear, the checks exist, and will appear. If the government is cruel, the governor's life is not safe. If you tax too high, the revenue will yield nothing. If you make the criminal code sanguinary, juries will not convict. If the law is too mild, private vengeance comes in. If the government is a terrific democracy, the pressure is resisted by an overcharge of energy in the citizen, and life glows with a fiercer flame. ~ from Ralph Waldo Emerson, Essays, First Series, 1841, Compensation
Sadly, PP is going through a phase in which it appears that a bloc of “voices” make it difficult–intentionally or unintentionally–for "others’ " voices and/or new members to feel welcomed, let alone to be heard and taken seriously (if not met with outright hostility). PP has thousands of new, diverse visitors and members from Chris’ YT videos and other social media. But what do they find when they come here?
Sure, there are a few bothersome site navigational and functional limitations that are apparently targeted for upgrades in the next several months. And there are plans for expanded content that may appeal to long-term and newer members alike. But more problematic is the culture of PP. From my perspective and from several public and private comments I’ve read, the culture of PP at times feels unwelcome, even hostile for some.
I know how exhausting and time consuming it is to continually suggest, debate and/or defend an “alternative” or “minority” perspective to the majority within the PP community. Granted, I’ve been here only since 2016 so I may not yet have sufficient “creds” as those who have been here (and bonded) over a decade or so.
IMO, the current PP community culture discourages alternative perspectives from the prevailing (or most vocal) worldview, and we as a community are the poorer for it. Some may celebrate this as winnowing the “chaff from the wheat” (i.e., “remnant”). I hope we can work through this as a community as the implications for failure are very disheartening for PP specifically and for society overall.
It is really, really hard to go up against some very bright, articulate, seasoned and otherwise caring PP members who nevertheless appear to be culturally obtuse or intolerant. (Oh yeah, I’m sure I’ll be even MORE popular for that statement… Lol, No “thumbs-up” for you, Sparky! )
As a case-in-point, I’ve recently grappled with how a long-term esteemed PP member who posted a wonderful, insightful and informative comment with lush photos of his garden, beautiful wife and daughter standing happily in a greenhouse on one thread, can post a photo on another thread of Fed Chair Powell w/a comment in effect of [paraphrasing here] that he was gonna “f*ck the economy so hard it’ll inflate bigger than K.Kardashian’s a** when he’s done with her!” That comment received at least one up-vote from another long-term, respected member before it was quickly removed by Adam. Notwithstanding the blatantly misogynistic, violent and offensive aspects of the post, I was further astounded at the ability of the PP member–who I really like–to compartmentalize these completely disparate perspectives. The commenter’s response once moderated was “win some, lose some”, indicating NO understanding of why this post was a “problem”.
Similarly, I’m troubled by how tactical instructions for a violent “turkey shoot” vigilante response against SNAP beneficiaries and other hungry citizens can receive 12+ “likes” from other PP members. (Source) [Update: At least two members have since apparently rescinded their vote.]
Note that my brief comment entitled “Police brutality and murder are crimes regardless of race an gender” garnered only three up-votes. Apparently in this instance the PP community largely choose to remain silent regarding this most basic civil, legal and moral construct regarding authoritarian brutality and murder. Maybe people were just busy. Maybe the thread was too dense and long. Maybe people genuinely disagreed with the statement. Maybe it was because Sparky1 posted it, therefore it was dismissed outright due to the messenger not the message. Regardless, I found this concerning on many levels. Its not about popularity, its about conformity and a herd mindset.
Apparently I’m more “likeable” if I post about safe topics such as chickens and raised beds and PPE, but less so or not at all “likeable” if I post my concerns about socioeconomic and racial disparities.
Consider that we may be dealing with demographic, socioeconomic and generational differences that are shaping the growing tensions here on PP. These differences may be more pronounced given escalating worldwide social. economic and political tensions. Adam posted more detailed information and graphics from the PP/Azurite survey of PP users/members that are interesting and may reflect some of those differences.
Identifying with and belonging to a “tribe” of “like-minded” people is comforting and empowering. On the downside, a “tribe” tends to rout out those that are different, those “other”, non-conforming, minority individuals among a majority group that, in the case of the PP community, ironically prides themselves on being non-conformist, independent, data-driven truth-seekers.
I’ve been uncomfortable at times when I read comments that seem to reflect a kind of “groupthink” lack of tolerance or piling-on, or “cultishness” seeping into some of the posts (e.g., “I would die for Chris.”)
Recently dtrammel was accused of “virtue-signaling” by JimH regarding dtrammel’s views on maintaining a “fair assessment” of the raging topic de jour, Antifa. Seriously?? Dtrammel, “virture-signaling”???
Note in JimH’s subsequent comment he stated, “we probably should not dredge up the racist history of the democratic party”, and followed-up with a comment disparaging the MSM’s penchant for polarized left vs. right reporting, then lauding “our Nationalist President” Trump as being the only thing standing in the way of a Globalist technocracy. While it appears to be acceptable to refer to former President Obama as “Obomba”, I doubt an alternative reference to President Trump as “Bunker Boy”, “Narcissist-in-Chief” or any of the other unflattering names that permeate social and MSM would be tolerated without push-back from some within the PP community.
Given the pervasive PP culture, “minority” views and number of participants may diminish, while the overall site and number of PP viewers and subscribers may become larger–at least for the short term. Consider that a large monoculture lacking diversity of organic inputs is not sustainable over the long term.
I’ve detailed my concerns and perspectives via PP public and private posts, and more recently with Adam via phone conversation. I’m looking for and willing to do my part towards finding productive in-house solutions, content and discussions. Of course, I can always “take a break” or leave PP at any time, but quite frankly, I’m “invested” in this imperfect community and yearn for its success.
I hold out hope for positive change and understanding. At least for now.
These are difficult conversations, but I remain faintly optimistic that there can be greater understanding and benefits to be gained from having civil, respectful, balanced discussions with intelligent, caring people within a given community. However, it is obvious that the tensions are becoming more pronounced as we (w/in US especially) weather a pandemic, civil unrest, economic collapse and election-year kabuki simultaneously.