We humans make hugely irrational decisions regarding money largely because, evolutionarily, we are wired for the fight-or-flight threats.This comment is very astute, and I tend to forget it. But not just true for money. Common rational threats we tend to ignore today? Health (processed food/lack of wights-cardio); family breakup (divorce/emotional trauma); driving risk (accidents, plus not walking anymore); TV-media (depression/lack of social activity); hospitals-medical care risk (unneeded drug or surgery risk/infectious disease risk/debt risk), etc. Yet few of us focus on preparing for these common and serious threats. Myself, I prefer to focus on economic collapse for some reason, and the only antidote I've found to this (somewhat irrational) fear is to keep 10% NW in physical PM (which protects against rational fears too!). Another thing I've noticed about irrational fears versus rational ones? Preparing for irrational fears rarely add value to my current life (it's more like insurance I hope to never use), yet responding to rational fears tend to make my everyday life better. It's not about avoiding death or illness, but more about having a higher quality of life now. Life choices addressing the above "rational" threats head-on (especially threats to group unity) yet costing nothing (even saving money) can include: family meals w/zero processed & high-nutrients; walking/biking to work; replacing TV with free weights and a social life or reading; regular confession (free shrink/moral unity). YMMV.
I can identify with your fear Adam. I recall a time in the summer when I was swimming in Lake Superior. I’ll typically swim out about 100 yards offshore and then swim parallel to the shoreline using sand ripples as lane markers (because I dive for golf balls that people hit out there in about 10 feet of water). I was swimming one day and all over a sudden, a large dark shadow suddenly appeared beneath me. My initial instinctive reaction of the “Holy sh*t!” type and I experienced that jolt of adrenalin release that surges through your whole body like an electric shock. All this happened in milliseconds. In another second or two, I recognized that this large dark shadow was … ME! I was indeed frightened by my own shadow, lol. I had a good laugh about that one. The sun had popped out and my shadow suddenly appeared and my fear reaction was instantaneous. Never mind that the logical mind would know that in Lake Superior, there’s no large critter that would bite or eat you. That response was wired in.
Another time, I had waded across a river and then was walking through a swampy grassy area to get to a favorite fishing hole. Suddenly, the ground shifted beneath me … or at least seemed to. It’s the perception you get when a snake suddenly begins to move and breaks its camouflage with the ground. I instantly leaped sideways and backward several feet, a purely instinctive reaction. In another second or two, I realized what I had responded to. The ground moving was actually a number of well camouflaged baby pheasant chicks who had started to move as I was about to step in their midst. I had a good laugh about that one as well.
I wonder what the impact would be if someone created a t-shirt that highlighted the near-zero terrorism risk and sold it so people could wear it while passing through TSA security checkpoints. It would be good to point out that most terrorism deaths are not airplane related.
That’s a great idea, qb, but, uh, better get to the airport REALLY early…Aloha, Steve.
The Saker’s year end post is worrisome.
Excerpts
My friends, I am sorry to say that I think the next year will probably be a perfect storm!The bottom line is simple: the Empire is dying and this puts the entire planet at risk of war. Do not worry too much about Russia: she is fine ready for everything and anything the Empire might throw at her. [T]he hyper-cautious, some would say “flaccid”, policies of Putin towards the endless stream of sanctions and provocations by the West has given Russia the time she needed to prepare....
- In the USA the next Presidential election will most likely be a disaster. The Dems are dead set to use any and all lies and tricks to try to remove Trump, while the GOP hopes that by selling out to Israel it will remain in power.
- The US is tanking on so many levels that I will only mention a few crucial ones: politically, socially, economically and militarily. The Trump-disaster has shown beyond doubt that this is not about personalities or who gets to sit in the White House. It is about a system which is profoundly 1) corrupt 2) dysfunctional and 3) unreformable. From now on it’s all “down” for the USA. I love this country and many of its people (even while I hate its ruling elites) and I take no pleasure is observing this. In fact, I would argue that folks like myself and many, many others (I think of Dmitry Orlov, Ron Unz or Andrei Martyanov) have truly done all we can to avoid that outcome, but we were too few and too isolated. Now it is too late.
- The EU is in absolutely TERRIBLE shape. Frankly, the Europeans deserve a lot of that pain because instead of defending their own national interests, they preferred prostituting themselves to the United States and the AngloZionist Empire. Now the the chickens have come to roost.....
The “show” is also over for the puppet President in the Ukraine and for his neo-Nazi masters (see here for a discussion). Latin America is in deep turmoil. Uncle Shmuel has successfully ousted the legitimate leaders of Brazil and Bolivia.... As for Africa, Central Asia and the Indian subcontinent – they are all under various degrees of crises. I believe that next year a major political crisis in the USA is inevitable. Furthermore, both Europe and the Ukraine are on the brink of major political and economic problems. And, finally, there is, in my opinion, a real possibility for a large scale war involving the USA and Israel: a war they will inevitably lose, thus creating a huge risk of nuclear strikes (at least in the Middle East).
Translation: we are waiting for your nuclear attack
Prepare for a major crisis
Make sure that most of your money is not in any bank (get small silver or gold coins; ammunition and medicines will also become currencies if things get really ugly), prepare emergency food rations. Stock up on weapons (handguns and/or rifles) and the needed ammo if you can. If possibly, try to locate/organize some place you can go and remain for a month or so (no less!). The worst places to be in case of a severe crisis are 1) big cities 2) isolated rural cabins/homes. I know that some survivalists advocate the “bug out” option, but in reality, unless you are in a group and well-armed, I consider this a dangerous option. The safest place is to be in a community, preferably a small town, where you have friends and you know and trust your neighbors. Second, assuming that we don’t have a full-scale war or major social violence, prepare for economic hardship: even if you keep your job, your income will likely go down. If you are self-employed, make sure to stock on whatever goods you need to provide your services. If you work for somebody else, prepare a “plan B” in case you get laid-off. I am not an economist, so take that with this caveat in mind, but all my contacts in venture capital firms and traders all tell me that the US and EU economy are so enmeshed that if one collapses, so will the other.
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Matt Bracken, Aesop, The Woodpile, T.L Davis and a slate of conservative writers think that the gun confiscation show down in Virginia is where TSHF. This is combined with Impeachment.
One last thought from a PP member of Scottish heritage.
"keep a sword in the house and one in the thatch."
[Now updated to December…]
Fool us once, shame on you.
Fool us twice, shame on us.
Fool us daily for a year…what the hell is wrong with us???
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
Just keep believin’…
Matt Bracken and Daisy Luther both see such potential for conflict over gun ownership in Virginia that they are sounding the alarm.
More than 80 counties in Virginia have declared themselves Second Amendment Sanctuaries and lawmakers are ready to bring in the National Guard if the new laws pass.
Just a thought: from when we were in Lithuania, I became aware of mebendazole and its safety – and its putative anti-cancer properties.
So Fenbendazole is also pretty safe – but don’t take it with a salicylamide pain killer – the two can react to make something toxic.
When you’re self treating, there will be risks you aren’t aware of. I’d keep it simple.
A recent study shows that there are now an estimated 393 million guns in the hands of Americans. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2018/06/19/there-are-more-guns-than-people-in-the-united-states-according-to-a-new-study-of-global-firearm-ownership/ including 3.5 million legally owned machine guns and ‘destructive devices’. This works out to 1.2 guns for every person in the country. It should be obvious to all but the most stupid or oblivious that with nearly four hundred million guns in American hands the percentage which are used in criminal acts is vanishingly small. Guns are not a problem. Crazy people and criminals are a problem. Anyone who claims otherwise has an ulterior motive.
BATFE figures also show that in 2018, 8.1 billion rounds of ammunition were produced by the firearms industry. Most of it presumably fired on gun ranges by Americans practicing their skills, or stashed away for future use.
The most popular firearm in the country is the semi-automatic modern sporting rifle (MSR), often mis-identified as an “assault rifle”, the AR-15 being the most popular model. The BATF calculates that there are now 17.7 million of them in private hands, a record high, and more than half (54%) of all rifles produced in 2017 were modern sporting rifles. This is precisely the rifle that Biden, Bloomberg, the Virginia State Legislature et. al propose to take away from us.
However, there are only 687,000 full time law enforcement officers in the US https://www.statista.com/statistics/191694/number-of-law-enforcement-officers-in-the-us/ who could be used to enforce a gun confiscation scheme. Of course, many LEOs, because of their oath to defend the Constitution, would refuse orders to disarm fellow citizens, as evidenced by the sanctuary cities movement.
In other words, law abiding citizen gun owners outnumber those who could be tasked with taking away our guns by at the very least 100:1 Those are impossible odds. All we have to do is simply say “No”.
One solution a Virginia sheriff suggested was to deputize thousands in his county if need be. He currently has about 12 citizens deputized, but in order to allow people to rightfully carry under a new law, he would carefully vet and deputize as many as wanted.
Hi, with respect to the following:
It should be obvious to all but the most retarded or oblivious that with nearly four million guns in American hands the percentage which are used in criminal acts is vanishingly small.As a disability advocate please know that the term “retarded” is considered to be inflammatory and derogatory, much in the same way the ‘N’ word is when describing black people. The correct term/phrase is people with a mental health disability. I realize that would not be as impactful in your comment. Perhaps you can find another way to express your sentiment. It will be appreciated by many people! Thank you! Jan
Can we all agree that the causes of violence in society are many, complex and inter-related in unpredictable ways? I think it is also safe to say that in the real world (as opposed to a perfect world where every gun remains safely locked away or in the hands of a responsible, capable owner at all times), the more guns there are the more likely some will fall into the hands of the wrong person (defined as 1. someone who intends to harm or threaten to harm themselves or others either in the heat of the moment or a premeditated act -or- 2. a curious and inexperienced person who is at risk of accidentally harming themselves or others). Of course we can make reasoned arguments about how large these risks are, and how to mitigate them in a way that also prioritizes individual rights to own firearms. We can also make reasoned arguments about the benefits of gun ownership and whether and how they might outweigh the risks. In doing so, it is best to avoid black and white thinking or shoddy reasoning to make our point as it will always be noted by those taking the opposite side of the argument - and - mark us as unreliable witnesses in their eyes.
Firstly, I appreciate your voicing this concern but maybe your work makes your view a little too critical? Perhaps he ought to have used quotations if he meant to offend people with disabilities or special needs. However, in defense of free speech, as I understand English, his use is aimed at “normal” readers and a “legal” pejorative usage to describe people who have slowness or limitation in intellectual understanding and awareness, emotional development, academic progress, etc. As a matter of opinion. Not sure I agree with his characterization but… “It’s what it is…”
Furthermore I believe it is a mistake to make a false equivalence to the “N” word (search “Dolamite” and “Eddie Murphy”). That usage could be interpreted as white entitlement and appropriation. And unnecessarily shame-ing language, which by my light starts to feel manipulative. (ok, ok, we ALL do it, all the time, every day, yes)
But again, I’m glad your working as an advocate for a population in need of more caring and consciousness.
Viva Haiti! (yo! Bill, Hillary and Chelsea, where’s the money?!)
Jan,
Although I wasn’t the one who wrote the statement you commented upon, I admit to being a bit befuddled about politically correct terminology. I remember when I was learning how to tune up a car, the timing of the ignition might be advanced or retarded, depending upon the circumstances. Retarded simply meant the opposite of advanced. When I was growing up, the word “retarded” was accepted terminology for an individual who had less cognitive capability than the norm. I wonder to myself when and how such terminology evolved to becoming derogatory. Also, it would seem to me that people with a mental health disability is a much broader category than people with impaired cognitive capability. For example, it could include someone who is suffering from anxiety or depression who actually has a much greater cognitive capability than the norm or someone who is schizophrenic or paranoid or bipolar. So I think you may actually need a more specific term.
I also wonder about other terms. Why is it that “colored people” is no longer socially acceptable but “people of color” is? Aren’t they the same? We’ve also seen “crippled” go to “handicapped” go to “disabled” go to “differently abled” (and I’m probably ignorant of the latest term) but the unfortunate truth of the matter is that changing the terminology in this case does nothing to change the affliction. It almost seems as if the name change is an unconscious (or perhaps conscious) attempt to change something which sadly, is often not very amenable to change. This whole word evolution process also seems only to create confusion in some and the opportunity for righteous indignation in others. Either way, I question the wisdom of this whole phenomenon.
Agree that violence / safety issue is complex. There are many facets, or “axes” of the issue.
And, even though I (in the aggregate) advocate for citizen gun ownership, there are some people I am NOT comfortable around knowing they are armed.
And I do see suicides and accidental shootings.
I also accept that there are intelligent people who come to the opposite conclusion on gun control from me. And I can continue to like and respect them. But it scares me too.
For me, the biggest issue is that the number of murders committed by military style semi-automatic rifles is very low. (I’m having trouble finding the statistics right now, but recall about 8% of murders are by rifle with 6% by hunting style rifles and only 2% being semi-auto military style.) Knives, drowning, clubbing and strangling are as or more common than military style rifle murders.
Yet the semi-auto military style rifles are the ones that permit groups of citizens to effectively face an abusive oligarchy. So, it is no surprise to me at all, that semi-auto rifles are what the oligarchy most wishes to ban.
It is my assumption that the oligarchy is not concerned about the safety of ‘the little people.’ They send us to give our lives in wars for empire, drive family farmers from their land, stage coups and price insulin out of reach. They are ORANGE Meme, not GREEN. They seek to win. To dominate and secure control, like in the late stages of the game of Monopoly or Risk.
What they are concerned about is that the little people not have the power to say “No More.”
That term has come to have a derogatory meaning for many in our culture. It seems to me that a little sensitivity in how we use trigger words is all that’s needed to defuse the whole issue. Just treat others with a modicum of respect by avoiding use of terms that have evolved to be considered derogatory. Meanings of words change over time, just try to keep up. If you find you have unknowingly offended someone, apologize and move on.
Very well argued with data to back it up. I must say your argument is very convincing.
One concern: When order breaks down, all of those guns will get in the hands of all sorts of groups opposing the government - both good and bad. How they are classified is a matter of individual opinion, but let’s look at the Mexican drug gangs which are perhaps more of an insurgency than a criminal enterprise at this time. Many (most?) of their high power weapons are sourced from American gun shops. Maybe there is no way to prevent this and maybe eliminating legal access to semi-auto rifles will curtail access to them for the “good guys” much more than it does for the bad.
Hi ao, and others who have commented re correct use of language.
I agree that for many it has become confusing and quite often people do not know what to do or say anymore. In so far as the offending word, it still has application in some uses e.g. the flames were retarded by the suppressant. In describing mental health is has fallen from use because it was too often used in a demeaning manner. E.g. saying things like ‘don’t be so retarded!’
Sadly for most people with disabilities, we are first and foremost defined by our disabilities. This is why person first language evolved. If a car, or computer network is ‘disabled’ it means it is not working. If you say I am a disabled person, the implication/message sent is I am not working. Instead, we like to put the person before the disability, to show that first and foremost they are a person! The preference is to say person with a disability, person that is hard of hearing, person that has a mental health disability, and so on.
Unless you have been on the receiving end of discrimination and the hardship that comes from trying to function in a society that typically sees you as being ‘less than’ these things are hard to understand. I liked Doug’s comment. Just acknowledge a mistake made, be open to learning something new and try not to keep using terms when you know they are offensive to some cohorts. If people can do that then I am a happy camper.
Jan
Boomer41: "In other words, law abiding citizen gun owners outnumber those who could be tasked with taking away our guns by at the very least 100:1 Those are impossible odds. All we have to do is simply say “No”.
If I think about Nat Turner’s revlution, or Bacon’s Rebellion, outnumbering the enemy 100:1 wasn’t enough. Look at each player’s rulebook… then at their tech. then at their deployment.
“Knives, drowning, clubbing and strangling are as or more common than military style rifle murders.”
agreed completely… see Scotland for good examples of knife violence rates after guns are gone.
Full disclosure… non gun owner here, but I have spent some time studing violence.
The average person is ridiculously more likely to be killed by a heart attack than a gun.
My children that attend school in gun happy Miami Dade County are much more likely to be injured or killed by an irresponsilbe driver than a gun owner.
I do not understand the focus and fear off guns when there are about a dozen other sources of death that are more likely.