Guard Dog

So far Biden has picked a decent cabinet.

We have reached the point where servicemembers are deployed fighting the same war their parents fought in.

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This has nothing to do with that. It's just commenting on a stupid policy implemented for a stupid reason. We don't ONLY talk about politics and not every single thing is life needs to be framed in a political discussion. Yeah there is a anti-western culture bent behind this and that is stupid but it has exactly nothing to do with democracy, liberty, the constitution of any of that. But I DO think tasking kids to read books like Call of the Wild, A Tale of Two Cities, Huck Finn, etc despite some aspect of them offending modern sensibilities does them a real service. When I was a kid, if left to my own devices I'd likely have read only comic books and pulp sci-fi. Those three books I just listed awakened a love of reading and literature I have to this very day. If I hadn't been required to read them I likely never would have and I'd be worse off for it.

Poor Stephen Breyer. The buzzards are circling over him now: Liberals to Breyer: Time to retire - POLITICO

This farce in the Congress that is being planned today needs to be stopped. It is pointless to "protest" by refusing to certify an election. Hey I'm all for quixotic gestures. I make one every time I vote. But not on capital hill. Tilt at windmills on your own time. What Trump has done since Nov 4th up to and including his call to the Georgia Secretary of State is banana republic dictators BS. This is NOT worthy of a protest. It's nothing short of disgraceful. Like I said, I am so glad Reagan, Goldwater, Ford, Kemp, McCain, and some of the other giants of the GOP are not here to see this s--t.

This is the best explanation of crypto I've ever seen: Crypto IS money and it's value will only ever be what it's purchasing power will be. As a currency it does have some real potential. First off there is a finite amount of it that can exist. So it it practically immune from inflation. Second it is not tethered to any government or economy. It would be very difficult to manipulate. Of course those can be drawbacks too under the right circumstances. But unlike other currencies there is no exchange between platforms. You cannot convert Bitcoin to Litecoin for example. Not without a middle transaction. BTW, Litecoin is starting to climb like Bitcoin did. It's trading for around $300 US. It was $80 a year ago. Might be an opportunity. But, based on my own looking the cost of an asset in bitcoin is out of sync with the cost of the same thing in dollars. Suppose you wanted to by concert tickets in bitcoin. If the cost $100 US in dollars they will likely cost a bit more in equivalent bitcoin. I don't know why that is. Guys, I read one book on Blockchain that provided a 30k' overview. I an NOT an expert. So please don't dive into this without doing your own reading.

Oh I didn’t avoid it at all. I bought one bit coin back in 2019. It was a little under $4k back then. It climbed up to around $18k then inexplicably collapsed to below $2k. I figured I had just bought a losing investment no big deal. But since then it has taken off and climb steadily. No it’s north of $32,000 and I’m getting very nervous about it. Should I keep it or sell it? Where does this ride end?

The only thing that would bring us to blows with China is Taiwan. They have wanted to invade since the days of MaoThey just haven’t been willing to pay the price to do it. If they are willing to go to war over Taiwan then that is certainly one way it will happen. If so:

I wonder if Pence wishes he had retired in '16 like he was planning to. In other news The Democrats have total control for two years. As long as they don't try to do something stupid like expand the Supreme Court you likely won't know the difference. Really what are they going to do? Spend trillions of dollars on ineffectual government programs, military expansion, foreign aid to hostile nations? Currency devaluation, debt explosion, and down the road hyper-inflation and ultimately currency collapse? Puh-leaze. This was happening with the Republicans in control so like I said... you won't know the difference. Bit Coin is nothing. It is literally air. I could not hand you a bit coin. It does not actually exist. Bit it's worth $35k and going up. Gold has an actual value of around $900 US per oz. It's around $2k right now. Commodities and real assets (income generating real estate for example) are climbing in price. This is significant. These are hedges against inflation. If the government hands you a check for $2k but it's actual buying power is $1k but still incurred $2k in real debt have they really helped you? Anyway, I'm not terrible worried about it. I have done all I can do to protect myself and my dog from any kind of government mismanagement or economic collapse. I'll give you guys the same advice I always give and it would be the same no matter who wins: If you are in debt get out. If you are not in debt don't go in Have as many credit cards as you can but use them sparingly. Pay off whatever you spend every month if you can. Invest in real assets and large cap stocks. Do NOT buy bonds. If you are keeping yourself out of debt why in the world would buy someone else's? If you want to gamble buy Crypto. Save money. But not cash. Do not keep your savings in a regular bank account. Hell don't even bury it in the yard. Inflation when it comes (and you better believe it IS coming) is like a tax on savings. So DO something with that saving that brings back value. Invest it.

I sold my travel trailer yesterday. I only used it 3 or 4 times. Seemed like a good idea when I bought it. Making 15 Bean soup in the crockpot for dinner. Remote work is definitely going to come to an end for me later this year if vaccine delivery continues on schedule. Although I'd have to be near the botttom of the list of people who get it. I've already decided I do not want to back to office work. What that means exactly for my career, well, I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. My office near Fort Pillow has been closed peemeneately and the new one is close to Memphis down in Shelby County. Not interested in making that commute again.

Every time you think you've seen the worst it gets worse. I just want to find 11,780 votes’: In extraordinary hour-long call, Trump pressures Georgia secretary of state to recalculate the vote in his favor Good riddance

Two words my friend: agricultural exemption. Collectively I own over 300 acres all told and pay about $2k per year in property tax. And my state has no income tax. All my lessee's ask is that I keep the fences fixed and the roads graded,

Happy 2021 everyone. I hope this year treats all of you better than last. Love, light, and happiness to all you crazy characters that make reading this board fun.

All this is in Massachusetts. If it’s going on anywhere else I haven’t heard about it. But it seems like the kind of thing that can spread. you are right of course. I think I am highly qualified to teach some subjects but certainly not others and homeschool kids miss out on a lot of socialization. But on the other hand the way they teach math these days I could probably save them a life time of calculator dependency By showing them the old fashion way. You know, actually memorizing multiplication tables and what not

By the way this subject has piqued my interest a great deal as I’m sure you’ve noticed. After some subsequent web searches I found out Orwell is also on the banned list. Small surprise there. After all how can you mold the minds of the poor little dear is if they happen to read a book that teaches them how you are molding their minds. I bet Machiavelli is going to be a no go also. For highschoolers I mean

This is a big reason why I am so anti-government. Too many times the government is used as a cudgel to hammer one point of view over another. “I” don’t like this so “you“ can’t do it. I don’t like this kind of language, these books have this language therefore you can’t read it. I don’t like guns therefore you can’t have guns. I don’t like cigarettes therefore you can’t smoke. Now it is perfectly reasonable for people to enjoy these vices in such a manner that it does not impose on the comfort or freedom of other people. It’s perfectly reasonable that tell people they can’t smoke in restaurants. It’s perfectly reasonable to tell me not to walk around with a 45 on my hip. But that’s not what we’re talking about in this instance. We are talking about literally removing access to these works for all future generations. This is nothing short of an attempt to mold future minds by limiting their experience. And it stinks. there is another point here. One that has not been hit so far. Classics are called that for a reason. They are a cultural touchstone that all of us share because even if we haven’t read them we know about it. If I were to say Ahab is hunting his whale you know I’m talking about a man seeking revenge. When the expression comes up “a face that launched 1000 ships” everyone knows you’re talking about Helen of troy. These expressions and themes show up in movies, songs, other books. Hell just listen to a two hour Dennis Miller routine and you’ll get at least two dozen references to classical literature that you would never laugh at the joke if you weren’t familiar with the reference. And now the present day moral busybodies imagine it is their place to deprive future generations of those experiences. sometimes I wish I had had kids. Sometimes I wish that very much. And sometimes I’m glad I didn’t. I’m genuinely worried future generations are going to be left a joyless and grimly materialistic world where the truth is only what other people tell them it is. I can tell you one thing for sure if I did have a child they would be homeschooled.

That sounds like a plan! In the moment we do it I am re-cashing out and retiring. No income equals no taxes.

THAT would be a shame. Walden is on the Guard Dog U required reading list for all life students! Of course I can see how the thought police would want that one banned. Thoreau discusses the importance of reading the very works the want banned. And a simple life, unencumbered by things and obligations is a non-starter to the people who fancy they run the world today. Consumption and debt are as essential to keeping people docile as are bread and circuses (internet, TV, and other distractions).

Nah, wasn’t that when it was being done for religious objections. It’s just the sick and twisted desire that exists in 33% of the population to control the actions and minds of the other 66%. That the 33% today is different than the 33% of years past is irrelevant. The methods and outcome are the same

“Beware the man who would deny you access to information. For in his heart he deems himself your master.”

Sometimes I wonder if they have actually read the books they want banned. Shakespeare was called out as having “hate speech” but The Merchant of Venice also has one of the first and best soliloquy’s about anti Semitism. BTW sorry about posting the whole text. I knew that was a no no but just didn’t think.

The words "banned" and "books" should NEVER be used in the same sentence. But, here we we are again. Even Homer Gets Mobbed A Massachusetts school has banned ‘The Odyssey.’ It's paywalled but I have a subscription so here is the text: Political correctness is a disease. One we are like to die from. It's practitioners are every bit as insidious as the "moral police" who wanted books banned because they were "sinful". It's a short step from banning them to burning them.

LOL that’s a far more optimistic vision of the future than one I would come up with!

I think even the 70's might be too far back on that last count.