I have followed you for so long Dr. M, mostly here but at Mish Talk as well.
I have never much like the idea of preppers and trying to become self-reliant in this hyper modern and ultra interconnected world because it is a way to avoid actually rolling up your selves and FIXING what is wrong in our society rather than just telling the world to F off and going your own way as best you can, I see that as a disaster for us all and a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Well, till yesterday anyway. What changed my mind? The executive orders signed by Putin’s protégé, Trump. People are yammering about how it is political theater of a desperate candidate who is losing even as early voting gets underway in the coming week. The democrats promise swift action in the courts.
What people just are not understanding here is that this was in effect a coup d’etat, the president has seized powers that the constitution strictly forbids the executive branch. The appropriations clause ignored. The power of the purse, the only real power of the US House, is the sole domain of the legislative, and this is what really makes America function even when it appears not to because of gridlock, it is the separation of powers and these are our checks and balances and they are now in the history books.
And, it is not like Trump did not carefully plan this, or should I say Tsar Vladimir carefully planned this because it was troll farm activity that sowed the resistance to good practices in the US against the pandemic. As well, you can look back and see that Trump had diverted Pentagon funding for use on his Big Beautiful Wall.
The executive branch does have some limited discretion to shift funds, but it is done with the tacit approval of the legislative, and has always been funding shifted from related issues under serious to critical circumstances. But, in that money grab he claimed he was taking from defense appropriation to use in defense of the nation. It was also challenged in court, both in the 5th circuit in NOLA and the 9th circuit in San Francisco. The 5th circuit said he could do most of the spending of money appropriated for other departments and allowed the grab to stand. The 9th circuit said it was illegal and the majority opinion said:
“The Department of Defense had relied on section 8005 of the Department of Defense Appropriations Act of 2019 to move the funds to the Department of Homeland Security.
But the unauthorized use of those funds, the judges wrote, “violates the constitutional requirement that the Executive Branch not spend money absent an appropriation from Congress.”
Also: “These funds were appropriated for other purposes, and the transfer amounted to ‘drawing funds from the Treasury without authorization by statute and thus violating the Appropriations Clause,” the majority wrote. “Therefore, the transfer of funds here was unlawful.”
This started with a transfer pf $2.5 billion from the DoD to DHS from 2018 appropriations, but even as the cases wound their way through the courts Trump planned a much larger $7.2 billion grab for this year.
Because the 5th circuit allowed the construction to continue and the 9th circuit shut it down on constitutional grounds it will now have to be up to the SCOTUS to resolve the differences between the circuits.
Now, we have Trump suddenly dictating Covid pandemic funding that both parties in congress have already rejected and the normal course would be pressure from the voting public would force the parties to come together and hammer out an agreement. What Trump just did was to void that principal in American governance with in excess of $100 billion in spending shifted from appropriations for other things. It says to the GOP in congress you never have to bother with compromise again, I will simply change appropriations to the way we want them. As well as delete tax laws we do not like. This action among other things dooms social security and medicare as well as ssi and other programs congress has enacted. But more important it strikes right at the heart of our government.
The way I see it Trump did not just sign an executive order he signed the death warrant for the USA. It now remains to be seen if this will cause the eventual breakup of the country which is the course I am predicting as red and blue finally have no choice but to recognize irreconcilable differences and go through an acrimonious divorce and splitting of the assets. Such a divorce will be very difficult and it will be impossible for it not to lead to some fighting, whether or not we can keep that limited to a few skirmishes is debatable, it has the real chance of blowing up into a civil war, though the blue has centers of power and population while the red has almost none. So they will be limited to harassments. But, no matter how you think of the future possibility of a russia style break up, or the potential rise of city states, red and blue spheres of influence and alliances for mutual protection, the USA’s fate was just sealed.
I saw this 4 years ago when Trump “won.” That the 2016 election was severely tampered with and it would only get worse, since the GOP blocked funds to guarantee the security of our elections it was then guaranteed they would be INSECURE, that we would never have a free and fair election again. So even as the polls indicate that Trump pretty much has no path to win in November barring a major historic turnaround he will soon call himself president for life just as Putin has. 22nd amendment gone, no more presidential term limits. 25th amendment gone, no more threat of a cabinet supplanting him with a VP. The minority party in government, a non issue as they now have zero power. The judiciary? Ask O’Kavanaugh, a far right wing bench that will always rule along partisan lines rather than uphold our constitution.
So, if nothing else you all better realize you now have a dictator not a president, and it will be my duty to howl with laughter when that dictator no longer needs the support of the far fascist right that put him in power and aided and abetted his treason. Because soon enough he is going to come after you as well.
So, the reason humans wiped out all the large animals as we migrated out of Africa and across Europe and the seas, is because early humans were naturally vegetarians? I don’t think so.
We have demonstrated that we can exist, in a state of compromised health, while consuming a highly processed, omnivore diet.Quite right and we can agree there. But: (1) non-meat food products are among the majority of "highly processed" foods; so one can be a vegan or vegetarian without forsaking processed foods. In fact, the effort to make vegetable-based "food" that looks and tastes like meat shows the opposite. And (I'm sure we'll agree) works against any notion of truly healthy (let alone sustainable) eating. (2) It is possible to eat a meat-centered diet without eating highly processed foods. I do it, every day. I have much better health and vitality nearly a decade, now, after switching from carbs to healthy animal fats for energy. Gone are my joint aches and chronic pains, unstable blood sugar (hence, unstable emotions), constant "empty gut" feeling, low vitality, elevated blood pressure, brain fog, and the beginnings of eczema. (3) Every time I raise the B-12 issue with vegetarians and vegans I am treated to a discourse on the availability of B-12 through concentrations of sea or land vegetables, consumed most often in pill form or through injections. That's fine, I suppose, for those who have an ethical objection to eating flesh and who live in a First World country where wealth and technology make it possible to collect natural sources of B-12 in bulk, transport them, extract and concentrate them, and distribute them for purchase. But that fits my understanding of "processed." It is also highly reliant on a fossil fuel economy that may not continue, and is subject to supply breakdowns and contamination. There, too, is the hidden carbon footprint. Or, alternatively, I'm informed about "careful" blending of natural foodstuffs that will provide adequate B-12, or (in one case) adequate equivalents. That works sustainably, I suppose, as long as one lives where the various carefully selected foodstuffs all grow in adequate ratios. It means a bad harvest year could be problematic. Two bad years could reduce one to eating animal fat. (4) Or, one can eat meat with its fat. Heck of a lot easier, far more reliable (because, if it comes to it, cows and sheep and chickens can be raised even on soil that won't sustain vegetable crops), and it can be done regeneratively: that is, in a way that builds or rebuilds soil health and vitality while raising highly-nutritious field-fed meat, milk, and egg animals for human consumption. Indeed, proper use of regenerative, integrated farming is actively reclaiming soil, and produces such nutrient-dense food that a person wants to consume less because less is required to meet one's satiation point. (5) I'm quite aware that there are at least some people who seem able to go decades on a vegetarian diet with no supplementation. (Or, at least, allegedly; I have doubts, but that's based on my inability to do so, so I'm invested, therefore I extend provisional credibility.) I truly think they are the vast minority of contemporary vegetarians. But I don't know of any studies that can support my suspicions (but I haven't looked). My suspicions are based on my limited grasp of biology and nutrition for humans, as well as the fact that at one point or another I've adhered to just about every diet advocated in the last 50 years, excluding veganism. I also understand that some people who fare poorly on a "highly processed, omnivore diet" find a vegetarian or vegan diet suits them better. Just as I know that some people fare poorly on strict vegetarian and vegan diets - especially if by striving to be "natural" about it they eschew supplemental vitamins and concentrated vegetarian/vegan foodstuffs. There's a lot of variation in humans; some of what we can and cannot get away with eating or not eating is likely hardwired from our particular ancestors, and some likely has to do with what we already have stored up in our own bodies. Some people wedded to the "meat and potatoes" standard American diet refuse to consider whether their food might contribute to their declining vitality and rising (well-known) comorbidities. Those who do, try to cut back on how much they eat, and sometimes try to incorporate more raw vegetables, but don't make substantive changes in the quality of the vegetables and meat, and don't dramatically reduce their processed carbohydrate consumption. Sometimes, they increase their snacking. Equally, some people wedded to the "vegetarian" or, even more so, to the "vegan" diet refuse to consider whether their diet might be the cause of their (less well-known) health and vitality issues. Those who do admit to their non-vegetarian/vegan needs often become compromise "vegetarians" who eat fish, or consume certain forms of dairy, or eggs. Really, they're just omnivores who don't admit it. Likewise, in my lexicon a vegetarian or vegan who receives manufactured supplementation via pill or injection is a self-denying omnivore - someone who needs animal consumption to meet their bodily needs but refuses to acknowledge it as long as they can secure concentrated plant-derived supplementation. That'll work until it doesn't. Then reality intrudes. For me, it's just not compatible with my "100 Year Survival Plan," which is built around what I can do on my own acreage. It's also clear that we Americans in particular (Westerners more generally) eat more food than is good for us - far too much of it in the "highly processed" category, and that's true regardless of preferred eating regimen - whatever one's "diet," there's an industry built around catering to one's ingredient preferences that pays no attention to what's left that's nutritious or harmful once the processing, packaging, and selling is done. Likewise, most Americans don't get enough exercise to realize the benefits that exercise provides. That's pathetic, but true. Eating without exercising sets one up for declining health, regardless of diet. Lack of exercise also promotes hunger, especially for quick energy foods - carbohydrates, which is just sugar (glucose) in the bloodstream; and there starts the negative feedback loop, whatever diet one follows. (6) The most traditional and wide-spread human eating pattern has always been omnivorous, where both meat and vegetables were what we would today call "heritage breed" and were raised by what we now call "organic" practices; and were produced by the people who consumed them, which is how humans historically got adequate daily exercise to maximize the digestion of that food. In the main, those of us who move back toward working land to produce our own food do so to our best health, and the land's best health, by integrating plant and animal life, and by eating what we grow on our increasingly healthy soil with its rich and diverse microbial life - thereby also rebuilding our own gut biomes with the local microbes our bodies rely upon to process the food we grow. Turns out those microbes are also essential sources of DNA: fully half the DNA our bodies use to operate our organs at full potential are resident in the beneficial symbiotic microbial life living within our bodies - which come from the plant and animal food we harvest locally. Really makes me wonder whether the land hasn't colonized us every bit as much as we it. But it also points out why the traditional way of cooking - slow, with moisture, over low heat - is better for our health and vitality than fast, high-heat, dry cooking - and why naturally fermented vegetables and dairy contribute to healthy guts and improved vitality.
My farm needs it, my fields and orchards, gardens and forests. Animals are necessary and their inevitable end feeds me too.
husband,father,farmer,optometrist
I agree about processed foods, regardless of meat or plant sourced.
(2) It is possible to eat a meat-centered diet without eating highly processed foods. I do it, every day.Everything comes from plants. When you have animals eat the plants and then eat the animal, you loose micronutrients and antioxidants and gain dietary cholesterol, trans fats and animal protein. If you are inquisitive, check out research on the correlation between animal protein and cancer. A lot of research has been done on this over the last few decades. WHO’s website has tables and charts that show cancer rates in wealthier nations 400% higher than poorer parts of the world. It appears that animal protein is a great growth medium for cancer cells. There are poor parts of the world where cardiovascular disease if virtually nonexistent, where blood pressure goes down as you age. It’s easy to rationalize the way you want to eat. Believe me, I know. I did it for years. The really cool thing I found, is once I dumped meat, dairy and processed foods for a period of time, I started enjoying eating healthy foods. I leave the table as satisfied as before. The caveat it this. As tasty and enjoyable as healthy foods are, they don’t pack the culinary wallop that addictive foods do. You can enjoyably give up food addictions, but you don’t forget why you were addicted. BTW, my annual checkups are not the same. I am healthier across the board. For example, my untreated, combined cholesterol last year was 128. Studies indicate that people who keep their cholesterol under 150 don’t have heart attacks strokes and other cardiovascular issues, despite their history. Angiograms for some of these people show significant reversal of existing CVD. There is a lot of nutritional science available for those interested. The problem is the background noise. It’s like the early sixties and the tobacco industry. The problems are this. The meat and dairy farming and food manufacturing industries have much deeper pockets than the tobacco industry had. That and the addiction rate for the Western Diet is near 100%. My recollection is that nicotine addiction peaked at around 50% for men, so there was opposition. The Western diet is sanctioned, subsidized and approved of by virtually everyone in todays society. I’m not sure this will ever go away.
@pokjbv I saw this 4 years ago when Trump "won." That the 2016 election was severely tampered with and it would only get worse, since the GOP blocked funds to guarantee the security of our elections it was then guaranteed they would be INSECURE, that we would never have a free and fair election again. So even as the polls indicate that Trump pretty much has no path to win in November barring a major historic turnaround he will soon call himself president for life just as Putin has. 22nd amendment gone, no more presidential term limits. 25th amendment gone, no more threat of a cabinet supplanting him with a VP. The minority party in government, a non issue as they now have zero power. The judiciary? Ask O'Kavanaugh, a far right wing bench that will always rule along partisan lines rather than uphold our constitution. So, if nothing else you all better realize you now have a dictator not a president, and it will be my duty to howl with laughter when that dictator no longer needs the support of the far fascist right that put him in power and aided and abetted his treason. Because soon enough he is going to come after you as well.Damn, sir, turn off the TV. At least turn off the criminal CIA quadrumvirate CNN/MSNBC/WaPo/NYT. 100% of what you said is 100% insane lies.
@VTGothic Likewise, in my lexicon a vegetarian or vegan who receives manufactured supplementation via pill or injection is a self-denying omnivore - someone who needs animal consumption to meet their bodily needs but refuses to acknowledge it as long as they can secure concentrated plant-derived supplementation. That'll work until it doesn't. Then reality intrudes. For me, it's just not compatible with my "100 Year Survival Plan," which is built around what I can do on my own acreage.You're totally right about everything you wrote IMO, except that many of our soils have been largely depleted of nutrients, which is why supplementation can become quite necessary. A major example is magnesium. Vitamin A tends to be found only in expensive foods (and most people can't efficiently convert beta-carotene to usable vitamin A). In India, there's a major iodine deficiency problem. Our modern food patterns also skew omega-3 (antiinflammatory and pro-intelligence) to omega-6 (proinflammatory and pro-visceral fat storage) fatty acids ratio, causing all sorts of problems, making DHA/EPA supplementation extremely useful.
@LesPhelps Everything comes from plants. When you have animals eat the plants and then eat the animal, you loose micronutrients and antioxidants and gain dietary cholesterol, trans fats and animal protein.Cholesterol is fine and necessary. Trans fats only happen if you overcook or cook with toxic plant oils (with the important exception of coconut oil).
If you are inquisitive, check out research on the correlation between animal protein and cancer. A lot of research has been done on this over the last few decades. WHO’s website has tables and charts that show cancer rates in wealthier nations 400% higher than poorer parts of the world. It appears that animal protein is a great growth medium for cancer cells.Nah, it's not the protein that causes cancer, it's the toxins in non-organic meat which the alleged "health authorities" (controlled by the pharma/food industry) do not acknowledge.
The really cool thing I found, is once I dumped meat, dairy and processed foods for a period of time, I started enjoying eating healthy foods. I leave the table as satisfied as before.Don't let crime gangs define for you what "healthy" means. I recommend you subscribe to Dr. Mercola's newsletter to (slowly over time at a nice pace) learn the truth and take control of your own health. You're right about processed foods, and just quitting those will have a huge positive effect on your health, but going by what you're saying you think you know about health right now, it'll be easy for you to degrade your health over time.
BTW, my annual checkups are not the same. I am healthier across the board. For example, my untreated, combined cholesterol last year was 128. Studies indicate that people who keep their cholesterol under 150 don’t have heart attacks strokes and other cardiovascular issues, despite their history. Angiograms for some of these people show significant reversal of existing CVD.That's all BS. You've fallen for the cholesterol scam. Watch this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1RXvBveht0
Baba Hari Dass when asked whether it was more spiritual to eat meat or be a vegetarian said ( actually spelled out on a chalk board since he was silent) " Rules about eating are present when food is plentiful. When food is scarce you will eat anything"
This site is and has been studiously APOLITICAL.
It has been that way for exceedingly good reason. Political discussions go nowhere. They are nothing if not divisive. They are not related to the three E’s.
So I think it would be appreciated if you would not post either pro or con political opinions.
BTW my political stance is “there are no political solutions to the human condition”
As peoples memories of (elderly) farming ancestors fade, so does the accuracy of memory of their diets and activity. Long bones in humans used to have growth lines (like trees) marking periods of food scarcity and privation. In modern times the glut of available calories, and its “manufacture” (without the toil) is what is different. I think meat (on the hoof) can be thought of a source of preserved calories, as preservation of food for times of scarcity has over time been one of the main hurdles for survival. Few people remember the role of root cellars, salting, fermenting, foraging, and animal husbandry. I have a 3 volume(!) encyclopedia, all that was known in Arts, Science, and Technology, published in 1806, it amazing to occasionally look at what basic stuff, is invisible to most.
@tbp: I do understand the poor soil => supplementation. My comment’s specific context was the ongoing “discussion” with vegetarians and vegans about the need for B12.
In the larger context: imo, the degradation of soil is a top-tier reason for embracing regenerative agriculture. Time to get our soils in shape and learn healthy processes so we don’t need to rely on supplements that might not always be available - and that are only available because of resources extracted somewhere else.
Meanwhile, however, I am currently taking (these last 5 months) Chris’ recommended half dozen supplements to doubly assure my immune system is “covid-ready,” since supplements are still available.
Sometimes reality trumps ideology. The large majority of vegetarians and almost all vegans are b12 deficient if they don’t supplement through fortified foods or supplements. Omnivores can develop other deficiencies (which is why we have folate fortified foods to prevent spina bifida, iodine in our salt, etc…). I know a good diet replaces these things but the fortifications help those who don’t know better. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2933506/
Cholesterol can be harmful to some people, others tolerate it well, we are a genetic rainbow of different physiologies. Monitoring and assessing how we feel on our diets is important but not everyone can afford a good dietician and must find their way. I hammer on the B12 with my veggie friends and cohorts it is cheap simple and prevents a lot of problems. The question as to what would you eat if you were starving is a little off base, no one here is starving. It is a choice for most of us in the first world, and my omnivore friends are always envious that my meals are so much cheaper than theirs FWIW.
A couple of the things I think about as I adopt many of those old practices:
Salting and brining require bulk non-iodized salt. Not so easy to get, now.
Likewise, slaked lime for preserving fresh eggs. I think I’ve finally found a nearby source. If so, I’m going to try it, as I have more eggs than I can eat, and I’d as soon preserve some as sell them all, for the slow period of the year when the hens shut down their egg conveyor belts.
I’m also in awe of the old practice of butchering a chicken the day of preparing it for dinner. That’s a lot of additional work! Especially when done by hand without the aid of an electric thermostat-regulated water bath and electric plucker. Yet, when the SHTF, as you correctly say, animals are preserved calories (and other nutrients).
…and my 25 pound bag of lentils provides me concentrated preserved protein for 4 months…sorry I had to add that. Omnivore vegetarian vegan is a choice.
All this talk about diets ignores the genetic component and other interesting things about cholesterol. I like meat and I will keep eating it. I can eat fried foods all week and it does nothing to my cholesterol. I have a friend from work how is on a super restrictive diet to bring his down but it is still sky high.
https://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition/familial-hypercholesterolemia
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5421439/
also, to people who think that Trump’s executive orders are highly illegal, did you think Obama’s DACA was highly illegal too? I can’t say that I agree with either of them but many democrats think it is OK when their guy does it but not when the other guy does it. Heck they even fight against Trump making an executive order to counteract Obama’s illegal executive order. Personally I would prohibit ALL executive orders on things that should be covered by legislation. Unfortunately, our congress is extremely dysfunctional. If I thought the libertarians stood a chance I’d vote for them but that is not to be. So, I am forced to vote for Trump because I’d rather have crony capitalism than socialism/communism.
For taking the time to do that; I couldn’t bring myself to go over the same ground again with another Vegan. Eat well, not “right” is what I live by. I am both impressed and frustrated with Lesphelps’ ability to bring every line of discussion back to veganism. It strikes me as a deeply held belief, with little effort to examine the other side. I know the other side is controversial (for some reason), but that’s what we do here isn’t it?
I’m not trying to be nasty here, just trying to understand something. I generally agree with most of Chris and Adam’s content, otherwise I wouldn’t be here. My knowledge of economics is minimal.
However, sometimes, PP’s videos/content make it sound like money printing by the central banks is the only large source of inflation. I know increasing wages/salaries are often seen as a sign of inflation, but don’t we have to factor in just those workers’ pure greed in that calculus? I live in a bit city and when a tradesmen comes to my door and wants 3x what’s reasonble for doing work, I send him on his way. But many people hire him. Then they complain tradespeople charge way too much. The economics of my city are very expensive, but not so expensive as to warrant that tradesman’s price demands.
Sure, most haven’t been able to increase their employment earnings that much the last 30 or 40 years, but some have, and I don’t think that’s entirely due to devaluation of the dollar. I’m asking this just to try to get a balanced perspective.
Lots of arguments over vegan versus, well everything else. 
I’ve seen cases made that eating meat is bad for the environment. And I’ve seen others say that it’s not. Or that it doesn’t include pasture fed beef… whatever. Eat what you like, no worries.
But there is a point worth mentioning I think. Whenever someone says something is more “efficient” or something of the like, I always wonder “In terms of what?” In terms of how much energy you as a homesteader expend versus how much return we get on that investment livestock is a winner and it’s not even close. There’s a reason none of the homesteaders that settled this country were vegan by choice. There’s a reason stealing livestock was a hanging offense in many parts of the frontier. Vegetarianism is, for the most part, a luxury granted by fossil fuels. Historically if you were a homesteader and you had the resources to run stock you did so and no questions asked.
And while you attended to other important matters your beef/pork/poultry was munching on grass and other free food and turning it into calories. Same for orchards, if you had room you had one if you were smart. Gardens are great but they are a ton of work and almost guaranteed to produce a less optimum outcome compared to a more well rounded calorie menu. IF you are trying to make a living off the land that is.
Will
We have mineraled our draft and grazing minerals with expensive (big carbon footprint) kelp meal for so many years and their urine and dung spread through out our farm and garden. We have only used kosher salt for 30+yrs. my partner, a scotch Irish girl of 60, has perfect thyroid and blood lipid profile, I used her as an anecdote as her genetic variant is most prone to thyroid issues. I do not need fertilizer, and for the rest of my life my animals will continue to amend soils with their excrement and offal.
[embed]https://youtu.be/tvxyEta01EU[/embed]
Author Thomas Frank joins the show to discuss his latest book ‘The People, NO: A Brief History of Anti-Populism.’
If you’re interested in history and how it might rhyme and/or “turn” [sic] you will find Thomas Franks recounting of the 1890’s facinating.
Ive been using free choice enterprises minerals on my cows for years, but have heard about Kelp and Salt … maybe from PolyFace.
Is that all you use? Where do you purchase in bulk?
And just in case someone thinks I have an issue with eating vegetables, this was my garden’s offerings yesterday. And thank you to my beautiful rabbits for eating my excess and feeding me as thanks.
