The extinction of the Peace Officer

If you've been around for more than 4 decades, you probably remember a very different "cop" from today's police officers. To understand some, let me emphasize this, SOME, not all of the problems, drilling into the metamorphosis of that era's police, you have to ask questions that will quickly take you away from the police themselves. Before I begin, this is not in defense of what police due today. In the same sense that explaining why a dog is vicious is not a defense of the dog's actions.

The police are not a company or business that developed and grew themselves commercially. They are formed and charged by our local governments. IMHO, the biggest change in the nature of the police officer happened (and continues to happen) due to the war on drugs. This is possibly the most costly of all wars that America has taken a battle position in. It has destroyed the lives of people, families, communities in America, and other parts of the world since the day it began.

Why? Because vices, while they may be destructive are human safety valves. Banning them does not remove them, it moves them. It also turns them into a profitable business. Very profitable depending on the demand. When you have something so profitable that our own government has partaken in it to raise money for black ops that congress wouldn't fund, then you've created a monster that you probably will never defeat.

When the illegal drug traders here started to become organized and powerful, is when they started to arm themselves and fight back. Police departments quickly became outgunned. They had to seek more powerful weapons and learn more battle tactics. When the drug traders began to commit horrendous crimes to create fear and control, the police had to become more intimidating aggressive.

As the book of laws grew fatter police officers had more to learn and try to understand their complexities and now in an environment where laws are changing faster than attorneys themselves can stay on top of them, the police have to stop the legal education at some point in order to just do their jobs.

As the image of the police officer has fallen from community white night to a necessary evil, and Hollywood had conditioned us to think it's ok to be disrespectful and combative, today's new police officers, as humans, face a lot of anger and hate they did not necessarily earn individually. It is transferred to them by putting on a uniform that presents them as some kind of dictators secret guard group to repress, scare, and abuse their citizens. Thus, when today's police officer faces a door, they don't know whether in the instant that door opens, if they'll be facing somebody's kid who spits in their face, the bloody face of a poor battered woman, a dog about to attack them or a bullet. How do you prepare for that?

This is the end result of an escalation that was started by, among other things, the war on drugs. The handling of which resulted in the destruction of citizens lives and families. The result of which bred generations of hate and broken families. The result of which has created and maintained a welfare culture. The result of which creates and maintains a group of people encompassed by crime and poverty. The result of which is a class of citizens that is constantly confronted with both crime and punishment which is met often with an unjustified amount of suspicion, force, and abuse.

If the peace officer is ever to return, the rule books need to be thinner in order to defund the businesses which provide these crimes as a service. When something is so profitable that it creates its own armies, and it's only this profitable because there are laws that made it this way. The simplest solution is to accept the optimal situation rather than the ideal situation and remove those laws and deal with causes of the problems rather than try to block the symptoms.

The test that failed because the results were forgotten.

I'm breaking for my usual ranting style (complain then discuss ideas to solve the problem) to offer this, a parable of sorts...

~1922 Italy (translated) "Son, why have you packed your bags? I've got you a job at the vineyard and you start next week!" Son, "I'm leaving to go to America Papa." Father, "Why Mario? What is there that is not here? Everything is here for you!". Son, "No Papa, America is the land of opportunity! If I stay here I will be working in the Vineyard for the rest of my life. In America, maybe someday I can have my own Vineyard!"

~1932 "Dear Papa, I've been in America now for almost 10 years. When I first got here I was beaten up and lost everything I had brought with me, even my shoes! A kind man told me he would provide me with shoes and 3 meals a day and a place to sleep if I worked on his farm for at least 2 weeks. After the second week he offered me the meals and place to sleep and to pay me $5 a week. I worked for him for almost a year and was able to save $200. I bought some new clothes and a train ticket to Sacramento. I was able to rent a room and find a job at the Granite Company where I worked in a granite quarry for almost 2 years but I was paid almost $12 a day papa! It was really hard work Papa, but I got big! I got into 4 fights while I was there the first year because they didn't like Italians. But after the 4th fight papa, everyone left me alone. By the time I left Papa, I had $2,500! It was really hard work and so I left and found a job at an oat mill that was much easier. I worked at the mill for 4 years and had saved $5,250 papa! I was able to buy 100 acres of farmland near a town called Napa and start my own farm. I hope I can bring you here someday papa."

~1942 "Dear Papa, I've been in America now for almost 20 years. I spent 18 hours a day for many years starting my Vineyard papa. I was starting to do really but then this war started. I'm too old to fight papa. But I love this country I would fight if I could. So I tore out my vineyard to help grow food for the war. Now I have to work my farm with the help of only one other person, a woman who I've known for a long time. We are married now. I want you to meet her papa. I hope we win this war. We work so hard. Beth sometimes comes to bed with her hands wrapped in wax and cotton because they're sore. It's hard work papa. But I am grateful that I am here."

~1952 "Dear Papa, so much has happened since I last wrote. Shortly into 1945, Beth and I started to rebuild our vineyard. It was very hard Papa, I broke my legs, both of them. Beth lost a finger when a gate fell. But it was some of the sweetest times I can remember for us both. Beth gave birth to Antonio, our first and only son. After Antonio, the doctors said she could have no more children. I swear papa, when things get better I will bring you here to see our vineyard and meet your grandson!"

~1962 "Dear papa, I'm still writing to you even though you've passed on. I miss you. I wish Antonio knew you like I did. Our vineyard has really grown, I was able to purchase another 200 acres from my neighbors, we are doing really well Papa, I wish you could see. Antonio goes to the finest schools and has everything he could want. This country is hard Papa but it's given me so much I could have never have had back home. America is my home".

~1972 America, Antonio, "I can't manage the vineyard anymore. I'm in too much pain. And your mother, well, you know. I'm counting on you. We have given our blood to this place, and it has rewarded us and you. Son, please honor me and take this business." Son, "I will Pop, I will keep it in the family and your work will not be lost."

~1982 Elizabeth, "Antonio, please com quick, Benji has fallen!" Antonio, "Oh no!!! Benji son, you have an owee on your knee, it will be ok, don't worry, I'll go get some ice cream OK???"

~1992 Antonio, "Benji son, why aren't you practicing your martial arts?" Benji, "I don't like it anymore dad. I want to be a professional skier!" Antonio, "Well son we'll see when you're older."

~2002 Benji, "Dad, I really don't want to work at the vineyard anymore. Have you seen my trophies? I'm going to ski professionally." Antonio, "Son, this vineyard is your legacy, it will provide for you and your family when I am gone". "I don't want it dad. It's too much work, I just want to ski." Antonio, "Do you have any idea how hard your grandfather worked to build this business? Decades of hard labor and during the war lost it all and had to rebuild again? And I have grown this and worked it hard so that you can continue to live like this and provide for your family in the future!" Benji, "SO what! Work work, that's all I hear. What do I care? I didn't have to do it. I've spent my time and hard work learning to ski! That's what I want!"

~2004 Elizabeth, "Benji, your father died this morning...."

~2005 Benini Vineyards Attorney, "Ben, you realize that once you sign this paper, this property and business that has survived for fifty years will no longer be yours or your home? Furthermore, a majority of the money from the sale will go to pay the debts that have accumulated for the last 10 years of nobody really running this business." Benji, "Yes, I know, but it's of no use to me. I'm a professional skier, I make enough, I'm just tired of having to deal with it. Signed..."

~2007 Winter Olympics sports announcer, "Oh what a terrible turn! Ben Benini is out for the season with that last run...spend some time drinking some wine Ben..."

~2008 Doctor, "Ben, you will be able to walk again, but it's going to take time. And you will probably be able to ski again also. But you will never be able to compete again." Ben, "My career is finished? You said you could restore all the functionality!" Doctor, "I never guaranteed anything Ben, we've learned not to do that."

~2009 Benini Vineyards HR director, "Well Ben, I mean, your family name is on the vineyard, but no one in your family owns it anymore, in fact my boss works in China most of the time. And you have no real experience in vineyards, surprisingly. I'm afraid there's nothing I can offer you here, maybe you should try for a job with a ski maker or a resort?"

How could Ben have known the real value of what his father had offered to him? He had no idea what the sacrifice to build it truly cost. And even Ben's father, Antonio, didn't completely know the sacrifices his father, Mario, had made. So in an instant, Ben gave it away without almost any thought.

For the generations of American's who have grown old in this country, the words of their parents about the sacrifices and hardship, that their great grandparents made and the even greater sacrifices of the generations before them, have rarely been heard let alone experiences and felt by the generations after them. The history and stories of the tremendous sacrifices that it took to build "the greatest country on earth" have been diminished and distorted with each passing decade such that the sacrifice for the liberty that created this, the "land of opportunity" is a story that is all but lost today. And so, "The Great Experiment", America, maybe soon considered a failure, only because the fact that it succeeded is a story that is no longer told. Thus we continue to sell our liberty for false security promises because the value of our liberty is lost to us further with each generation that has not had to fight or see the fight to save it or try to live without it. Liberty that is given away does not return freely.

The Coronaviruse has opened a case book study of the wonderland of possibilities for the evil elite.

OK, let's get all the coronavirus conspiracy theories out on the table.

Put on your Darth Vader helmet for a moment and play the part where you're part one of the few ruling members of the CCP.

Now forget all the possible theories suggesting this was intentional for a moment and let's say it was an accident.

With my Darth helmet on, I'm now looking for ways to make lemonade out of this.... and holy shit! This is a gold mine of intel and opportunity!

1. Military intel. If we shut down major parts of our exporting industries, what products go into shortage across the globe? What resources did we consume? What time tables were successful? What were our costs politically and materially? What new strategies and solutions were born under this duress? How did others react to our aggressive actions? Where are the weak links? Where were the heavily traveled paths?
2. Domination. How effective were our attempts to contain and control massive populations both here and across the globe in captive quarantines? Where were the problems created?
3. Politics. What impact has this had on our and the rest of the world's population regarding their opinions of us, our products, our methods, our ideologies, and our strength? Can we use anything from this to win more support from our people and the world?
4. Soft totalitarianism. Can we use anything from this to advance "warfare without a shot" tactics and power? Can we use anything from this to solve the problems we have in our country and around the world?

OK, there is probably much more here. But my heart is starting to turn cold and black so let's stop here for now and consider some of the possibilities. Remember, the CCP believes its people are of value as a resource, not as individuals or as humans. So considering that, some really dark things come into view. Just be evil for a moment and think...

For example, did you notice how this almost completely overnight shut down the huge conflict that was brewing between mainland China and Hong Kong? Hmmmm... that worked well...

Taking medical face masks for example, or broader -electronics manufacturing, being able to create world shortages of various products and services because so many have crucial industries have consolidated under the control of Mainland China in the last 20 years, how can we influence markets and politics in the rest of the world by creating artificial shortages for these crucial products components and service with epidemic outbreaks be they real or faked?

Or, imagine we needed to eliminate a vast quantity of bodies (from malevolent causes - think genocide for a minute) by incineration. What more perfect way to cover both the reasons for the construction and use of production scale human incinerators than an epidemic outbreak?

Save the world from global warming? Sure... we can do that by making a big reduction in the number of humans on the planet. Every year, cases of flu cull off swaths of the elderly and other weak humans, causing a reduction in the population. It just needs a little more help this year... Oh and as a bonus, we've warmed up the rest of the world to the idea of mandatory vaccinations. This gives us the ability to have programmed population control!

OK, I just about vomited in my mouth. But maybe you get the idea... its a wonderland of possibilities for the malevolent mind that possesses power and control with the desire for more of both (ehem, "1,000 year plan" CCP).

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Warning! Labels are dangerous!

The danger of labels has never been higher than now.

My friends, I ask you all to please consider this. We live in a time where our main news sources are biased, corrupted and have agendas which can be bought or are owned by corrupting political interests.  And, our internet news is fed to us based on what smart automated systems think we want to hear or are interested in (facebook, google, yahoo, etc.). This reinforcement of our personal biases and beliefs causes us to become drunk on our own bullshit and slip further into our own in-tolerances and closed mindedness.  

Image courtesy of Stamps by SPC via Amazon

And so, out pops the labels. A label is an easy way of quickly assigning a state or condition to something to help us keep track or understand the properties of something without having to research or verify those properties each time. For things which properties are reasonably self evident, this is very efficient.  For example, a bin labeled nuts, bolts, spices, etc.

However, a label such as "stupid", "right-wing nut job conservative", "commy liberal", "murderer", "criminal", "terrorist", "unqualified", "rapist", "predator", "gun owner", "pervert", "incompetent", etc. are easily applied in those news sources or by individuals and the persons these labels are placed on are then easily assumed to have those properties with little verification, or worse, verification by an "unqualified" or "incompetent" or "compromised" source. Do you see the problem here? There are even labels for validity of the source the labels.

There is an elementary axiom in mathematics called the "transitive property of equality". It simply says that if A = B, and B = C, then A = C. So lets suppose that Terrorist = Muslim, and Bob is a Muslim, then Bob must be a terrorist right?  The problem is in the first assumption that A=B. B is the label and A is the property.  The A = B in this case is only partly true in that we know that most terrorists of late have been Muslims. But with over a 1 billion Muslims in the world, clearly, not all of them are terrorists or have terrorist tendencies and desires.  Therefore, A does not equal B. In-other-words, labels come with assumptions. And there is another rule about "assumptions" that you've probably heard, "when you assume, you make an ASS out of U and ME."

In the above case, both Terrorist and Muslim are labels with large grey areas of their property certainties, but Bob is an individual label. So Bob is certain.  So first, what makes Bob a Muslim? Did he declare it himself or was he observed going to mosque a few times? It is likely that if you read that in an article or post somewhere, that point will not be part of the content and for simplicity of digesting the article and saving yourself time in a very busy world, you might follow that assumption.  

One more example.  Child Rapist = Sex-offender,  Sex-offender = Bill. I'm sure it's all painfully obvious to many of us now that label of "sex-offender" now applies to almost anyone.  From someone who was simply  drunk and caught peeing in the street to a full-on child murdering rapist. So, if you've had your name published in the paper as "sex-offender" people will probably assume that you're at least a child molester, but won't consider that you busted for pissing in the street when you were drunk,  UNLESS THEY KNOW YOU and know otherwise. 

Labels are misapplied to so many things now, that it is corrupting our knowledge and information flows with bias, poor judgement or simply bad information. When you see a label like Liberal, Conservative, or Moderate, remember that what that label means may differ from your interpretation of it, and that it may only be partially true, if true at all, and should not become an emotion provoking or thought engaging point unless you're certain the context is relevant, the source is competent and the scope of the label is not a distraction from it's relevance. Unfortunately, that's a lot of mental work if all you want to do is read the news in peace. I find it simply easier to keep a very open mind to alternative views and information and never become emotionally driven or closed minded by any of it.

The misuse of labels is dividing us, causing us to fight, manipulating us and breaking down trust between us. Facebook has decided that I'm a conservative. Stop and hold in mind what you think of me at this moment.  I suppose because I support gun rights and smaller government and read a lot of this material that I've earned this label in their programmer's minds at Facebook. But I also support a woman's right to manage her own body and certain social programs. I call myself a Libertarian because my priority is to maintain the freedom for us all that was born of the many battles that formed our nation. Now what do you think of me? But I guess facebook doesn't have that label.  I wonder why? 

A Libertarian's Analysis of RNC vs. DNC and who to vote for.

Like it or not - I don't - there are only two platforms which determine who runs for 98% of our Congress and Presidential offices. Americans have found this illusion of voter power comforting. But for over these last few decades, the choices of candidates these two platforms finally produced have, in practice, offered little difference. In fact, many Americans now believe that both parties might as well be the same party regardless of rhetoric in terms of their results and our freedom of choice.

There are many details which lead up to this situation, but for simplicity, recently, this stands out as a difference between both parties to me: In the first Republican Debate for the 2016 Presidential race, broadcasters tried to allow 17 candidates on the air. In the first Democratic Debate, broadcasters only aired 5 candidates. By the fourth Republican debate, the participants had narrowed to 12. The fourth Democratic debate, 3.

Much of the fighting and criticism that surrounded the Republican Party was because there were so many candidates. While it’s pretty obvious that the leadership of the Republican party did not want this level of division or number of choices, nor did it care much for some of the candidates (Carson, Paul, Trump) who were anti-establishment, it did present its membership (consumers) with more choices to consider. In this regard, the Republican Party looked like a supermarket, while the Democrat Party looked like a convenience store.

Seeing the Republican Party’s leadership unravel at the seams was a treat for almost everyone except those in the leadership. Because, at that tear, the people were finally being heard. Issues of true substance and importance were going out of bounds from all the scripting of the party leadership as well as the media’s coordinated corralling.

But what made this show even more spectacular was the unraveling of the Democrat Party’s iron-fist control of the candidate pool and premeditated outcomes. Thankfully, social media and their ability to control the freedom of discussion and information available on the internet turned out to be something both sides proved weak in. Finally many people are seeing now that our enemies are not in the category of Republican or Democrat, but rather the forces that control them both like a puppet show for us to watch.

What used to work before was constantly thwarted with contrary proofs, videos and testimonies from outsider discussions and information sources. While it’s painfully clear who the chosen one was for the Democrats, (http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-07-23/leaked-dnc-emails-confirm-democrats-rigged-primary-reveal-extensive-media-collusion), the same can not be said for the Republicans. But that doesn’t mean they hadn’t picked theirs and intended to run it out like the Democrats, it's just that things went further sideways for them and their plans because of the breadth of players in the field and the strength and tenacity of some of their most parting candidates.

I don’t favor either party because they're both props now. Call me "results oriented". If the vote came down to Republican Party’s “chosen one”, or the Democrat Party’s “chosen one”, then voting is just a waste of time for me. If there’s anything the past shows us, it’s that both parties are indisputably corrupt, self-interested organizations and are now more destructive than constructive to our lives, our nation and our liberties. But the unanticipated, more free-market-like action, that has nearly destroyed the Republican Party over the last decade has produced something that neither party has given us since I can remember. Our first presidential nominee who is not one of their “chosen ones” or a politician! Had the Democrat’s leadership been thwarted in their plans, that would have produced someone who was not a “chosen one’’ but whom was still a politician, making the choice between the two somewhat harder.

If the entities that continue to keep the best candidates out, corrupt and control our current political system, and sway public opinion, can not be diminished in the least this time, then I suppose it doesn’t matter who becomes president. Because, nothing will get better and will likely just get worse. If Trump doesn’t succumb to the same forces that ended so many good intentions of a few people before him (Ron Paul, Ross Perot), then maybe there will be something different to look forward to. But that’s where my hope is, not my bet. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still voting and by the time I vote, if Trump and Hillary look the same to me, I’ll just go with the libertarian again who is sure to lose, again.

It's time for Alcohol Registration(!)

It's time for Alcohol Registration(!) Nobody argues that more people die every year from drunk drivers than any other non-biological cause and it's time we finally do something about it. The one tool brought out all the time to solve other instances of wrongful death is never mentioned - "Registration". So how about, "if you want to buy alcohol, you must register." I know, people will say, "well how does that help? If someone registers, get's drunk, get's behind the wheel of a car (which is already illegal), drives and then kills a family and himself, what good did that do? So he was registered, so what!"

Well, the next logical addition to this law would be that registrations must be approved (for a small fee) by a trusted government entity (like the ATF) responsible for applying the proper regulations for the kinds of people who's registrations will be approved or not. For example, if you're a felon, then you're registration would not be approved - and therefore you could not buy alcohol, thus reducing the chances of you getting any and then getting behind the wheel of a car(!) And some will say, "well, that's fine but who will determine what these regulations will be?" Of course, a trusted government appointed committee can determine what the appropriate regulations should be. And what's the worse that could happen besides what all the government conspiracy kooks might think?

There's already plenty of examples of how this works in other areas. Take gun registration for example. Clearly you can see how "the people" would win(!)

For those of you who think I've lost my mind, I haven't. I'm only trying to make a point about registration and guns and registration in general, not alcohol. My punctuation errors are intentional. In many computer programming languages the "!" means to invert, it's a "Not" logical operator. I thought an honest attempt to apply this "Registration" thinking to another problem similar in nature to gun violence might demonstrate how foolish the idea of gun registration truly is, and how the only party that really benefits from the gun registration "solution" is the ruling party. Hopefully, you can already see some of the other fallacies in this argument. For example, how little of an effect it would actually have on preventing people from having alcohol who really want it.

How to tell if a Law is Good or Not?

It should be pretty obvious that in today's complex ecosystem of politics, almost nobody truly understands what the ultimate impact of every new law will be.  Here's why:  

1. Today, it's common for legislators to not even read the law.   
2. It's common for a law to be motivated or opposed by a commercial interests or other corrupt intentions.
3. It's common for legislators who actually do read the law to not understand it.
4. It's common for multiple yet unrelated laws to be bundled together to help obfuscate the obviously bad or corrupted ones.
5. It's common for those who transcribe the law into the practical US and State Codes and regulations to change it in someway as a matter of necessity, incompetence or ignorance.
6. It's common for those who enforce the law to misinterpret or choose to enforce only portions of the law or twist the intent.
7. It's common for those who adjudicate the law to twist the outcome or success of its intent.
8. It's not possible to predict how future legislators, regulators, enforcement agents and judges will interpret and process the law - plenty of history on this starting with the second amendment, first and fourth amendments - then and now.

Given this gauntlet of improbabilities, that a law will even be in practice as it was originally intended, what is the possibility a law will actually even do most of what it is intended to do these days without other unforeseen consequences ala "if you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor"? 

Then, given all the incomplete, incompetent, misguided, obfuscated and corrupted information available these days, I believe that very few, if any people are actually qualified to determine that a law will be good.  So with the impossible task of understanding the necessary complexities and interactions of our huge governmental ecosystem, in order to make finite judgments on individual laws, I’ve concluded that a philosophy about new laws is easier to manage and just about as effective, if not more, than trying to fathom the implications of every new law.