Guard Dog

Well, with any luck there will be 2% fewer of them around after this. Darwin wins in the end.

See? See? Sometimes I think we LOST that war!

Now that you mention it that is exactly how they got states to set their highway speed limits

Comparing reasonable PPE & distancing to avoid a virus is hardly a like for like comparison to drunk driving or polluting where the behavior is reckless per se and the probable outcomes predictable. The person in the other lane does not know the driver that just crossed the median and is heading right at them is drunk and cannot defend themselves from it. Speaking from experience on that one. The guy drinking contaminated well water has no defense against the polluter. Malc's wanker with the Gadsen flag and no mask who may or may not be sick can be avoided by the smart person wearing one. You don't HAVE to come within 12' of them. Furthermore it would be perfectly OK if Kroger REQUIRED shoppers to wear masks even if the state didn't. The folks at the protest are acting stoopidas you put it. But they wouldn't be there to begin with if they had been given a set of guidelines then otherwise left to their own devices.,

Several of them! The bar for military service in government has really dropped off.

don't even get me started on THAT! Right... like I'd ever get picked. No layer worth their salt would want me anywhere near their jury

Heck I think even those two examples are wide open to 14th amendment challenges

Hey I agree there is a lot of good stuff they can learn. Just don't tell them they MUST do it. Even if they are paid. The kids working in Chinese sneaker factories are being paid too. But not one of them can choose to do something else. I do not want to live in a country where the government starts making choices for people. Even if it has no effect on me.

@Gromnir and you call me cynical? I think adults will act like adults when told they should do so without a gun (real or proverbial) to their head. I wouldn't be doing anything different is it wasn't mandatory. But then again never leaving home and having that activity sanctioned is sort of a dream come true for me. In fact the past few weeks I have been looking hard at my financial situation wondering if I have enough revenue generating investments to retire. I don't really. Not yet at least. That nest egg isn't ready to hatch. But if I could get by on $12k a year I'd totally do it.

Calax is correct. National Service includes the military but it not limited to that. My problem is the word "mandatory". Mandatory labor is slavery by definition. It is not a word compatible with a free people and should always be answered with "f--k you". I think voluntary service in the Peace Corps, the military, or any of the other as-yet-to-exist organizations that were discussed the last time that crap was trotted out, is admirable. Moreover it is a very good and personally enriching endeavor for the person doing it. But no one should be compelled to do something like that. That kind of work is hard. The hours are long. They pay sucks. It can even be dangerous. To succeed at it you have to want to be there. If someone is only there because they were compelled to be their work will be half-assed and they will be a burden on their teammates and organization. Those are practical considerations. The philosophical ones are slavery is evil.

Wow Calax, that is a ton of bricks to carry. I hope this all works out for you guys.

Hard times in America renew the call for mandatory national service Nothing like a little slavery to put us back in the game.

If you didn't keep your distance from that wanker, wear a mask, etc, or just stay home then you DID ask for it! I just assume everyone has it but me. But when a cop pulls someone over for driving while being non-essential, or arrests someone for fishing by themselves at a lake on private property as happened in Minnesota and Wisconsin over the last month this big brother bulls--t has gone too far and we should stand up and tell the government to go f--k itself.

Problem? The libertarian response would be: We SUGGEST you stay home. We SUGGEST you practice social distancing, wear masks, wash your hands, etc. We SUGGEST you close your businesses, or if not then at least enforce social distancing and masks in you businesses. If you choose not to do this and get sick then screw you. You asked for it.

You, sir, are a good man!

This is another book that has been on my "to do list". I started reading it today:

Interesting article on how Sci-Fi reflects the fears of the time: https://getpocket.com/explore/item/the-rise-of-dismal-science-fiction?utm_source=pocket-newtab

Lots of folks have been home schooling their kids. Now there is a daunting prospect. If I had to teach a kid everything I knew it would only remind me of how little I really know. Y'see I'm like a Leatherman multi-tool. I'm good for a lot of varied tasks but not great for anything. I know a little about a lot but everything about nothing.

Hey they are going to love my unit on how we really lost the American Revolution. But then again this is April and that feeling is hardly rare in tax-season.

You should let us design one for you. We could do the one where Martin Luther wanted to get a divorce but the King of England (the head of the Church) wouldn't let him and then the Pope wrote the 95 Theses and nailed them to Luther's door and that's why there are Methodists today! (Them kids is going to college fer sure when we dun wid 'em)

I love Tennessee in spring. The weather is clear and cool, not a cloud in the sky. Everything is bright green. The coyotes are back in the Hatchee river bottom. During the winter you never hear from them. I think they move north into the upper part of Anderson Tully. Well, wherever they go they are back now. They can be a pest. Sometimes you have to do something about them. But I really love just listening to them. I've got a conference call at 9. About two hours of work to do, and then the rest of the day I'm going to spend playing Stellaris.

Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday dear Calax. Happy birthday to you! Hope it was a good one!

Too funny:

I made peanut butter bread. I had two slices with a little bit of strawberry preserves (home grown and canned!) for lunch with black coffee. It that was the last meal I ever eat it was a great way to go out! https://thefirstyearblog.com/peanut-butter-bread/

Doesn't mean they didn't beat the holy hell out of it once subdued then arrested/broke the phones of all the witnesses. Or maybe they only do that to people.