One Citizen Speaking

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IS BARACK OBAMA MORE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE FLORIDA SCHOOL SHOOTING THAN THE NRA?

There is nothing that will erase the stain from Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel who immediately grabbed a microphone and began attacking the National Rifle Association for somehow being complicit in the mass shooting at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

While claiming that his department was doing everything to protect the community and berating NRA spokesperson Dana Loesch and the entire membership for failing to stand up for children, he forgot to mention that an armed School Resource Officer (ONE OF HIS DEPUTIES WITH 3O+ YEARS OF SERVICE) wearing body armor did nothing for four minutes while children were being slaughtered during the six-minute shooting. And, that additional armed deputies sheltered behind their vehicles, pistols drawn and also failed to enter the school premises. It took arriving Coral Springs’ officers to make entry and secure the premises.

Was it cowardice, inadequate training, or a stand-down protocol that must have been approved by Sheriff Israel?

Even worse, it appears that the Broward County Sheriff’s Office and the school system had numerous encounters with the perpetrator and did nothing. He was expelled from school for violent behavior, and the authorities did nothing. His foster family reported that he allegedly held a gun to the head of his brother and mother – and nothing was done.

Doing the right thing …

Police Chief Anthony Pustizzi of the Coral Springs Police Department said approximately 130 of his men responded to the shooting at the school, which borders the city and is about three miles from the station. 40 of the arriving officers made entry, secured the premises, and carried out 23 victims, of which 20 survived.

Could this progressive sheriff be following the dictates of former President Barack Obama and his corrupt Attorney General Eric Holder?

In an attempt to reduce the optics of a minority trail from school to jail, a number of school administrators and law enforcement officials were constrained by the PROMISE program which provides money to schools when arrests are not made and gives the school the authority to handle criminal acts committed while on school property. THIS PROGRAM WAS ACTIVE IN BROWARD COUNTY!

The PROMISE Program (Preventing Recidivism through Opportunities, Mentoring, Interventions, Supports & Education) represents the most comprehensive thinking available to address socially unacceptable or illegal behavior, targeting both short and long term academic success, aligning best practice models and Restorative Justice principles, and developing pro-social and resiliency skills. PROMISE, while addressing the behavior specific to the youth, is committed to addressing family and community circumstances that serve as both strengths and challenges for the youth’s resiliency. PROMISE is an intervention-based program designed to correct student behavior that violates Policy 5.8 and/or Policy 5006, Suspension and Expulsion. PROMISE utilizes a comprehensive set of supports and education. The intent of PROMISE is to safeguard the student from entering the judicial system. <Source: https://www.browardprevention.org/behavior/promise/>

For those who do not speak in progressive bafflegab, “restorative justice” is a process that attempts to repair the harm caused by a crime by getting criminals together with victims to discuss their feelings and possible restitution. What possible justice is available to the parents of this tragedy? Certainly nothing involving the NRA.

There is no doubt in my mind that the shooter should have entered the school system’s criminal index, should have been designated as a mental patient, both of which may have prevented him from obtaining a weapon. But, then again, criminals and crazies don’t respect or obey the law.

Bottom line …

Are you willing to allow the politicians and mealy-mouthed asswipes like Sheriff Scott Israel help to destroy the Second Amendment and to disarm law-abiding citizens to create bigger victim pools and one-way shooting galleries?

Are you willing to put your life – and the lives of your children – in Sheriff Scott Israel’s men. Men who stood by while innocent children were being slaughtered.

As a life member (Benefactor Level) of the NRA, I believe President Barack Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder are certainly more responsible for this tragedy than the NRA.

-- steve

“Nullius in verba.”-- take nobody's word for it!

“Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.”-- George Bernard Shaw

“Progressive, liberal, Socialist, Marxist, Democratic Socialist -- they are all COMMUNISTS.”

“The key to fighting the craziness of the progressives is to hold them responsible for their actions, not their intentions.” – OCS

"The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." -- Marcus Aurelius

“A people that elect corrupt politicians, imposters, thieves, and traitors are not victims... but accomplices” -- George Orwell

“Fere libenter homines id quod volunt credunt." (The people gladly believe what they wish to.) ~Julius Caesar

“Describing the problem is quite different from knowing the solution. Except in politics." ~ OCS

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STUDENT'S IGNORANT COMMENTS PROVE WHY THEY HAVE NO PLACE IN A LEGITIMATE DEBATE ON GUN CONTROL

While Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School student David Hogg has a right to his opinions, the idea that such opinions are well-informed and useful is quite another thing …

In a televised interview on MSNBC, Hogg appears to be defending an armed resource officer who never entered the high school in Parkland, Florida school where an active shooting spree left 17 people dead and many others injured.

Hogg asks, “Who wants to go down the barrel of an AR-15, even with a Glock?” Further claiming that School Resource Officer Scot Peterson is “just like every other police officer out there at heart — is a good person.”

Fact: at the time of the shooting the School Resource Officer did not know the weapon was an AR-15 and as far a weapons go, the AR-15 is not one of the more powerful rifles.

And that’s the problem …

Like most well-intentioned progressives it is all about feelings rather than the facts.

Fact: For 30+ years sworn police officer Peterson took the people’s money after taking an oath to serve and protect the public.
Fact: During the course of his 30+ years as a police officer, Peterson received both general and specific training on how to handle imminent threats while remaining safe.
Fact: There were many preliminary reports indicating that there was a lone gunman and his location was known.

Yes, nobody, civilian or sworn police officer likes to “go down the barrel of an AR-15, even with a Glock.” But that is not the tactical situation faced by Officer Peterson. This was not high noon at the O.K. Corral; the officer did not face his assailant face-to-face separated by a short distance in a hallway. This was not a shooting free for all. In fact, that day was a one-way shooting gallery with unarmed innocent targets.

About David Hogg ...

Three questions arise about David Hogg.

If he and his classmates suspected that the perpetrator of these heinous shootings was such a clear and present danger, why didn't he inform his father who was a former FBI agent?
Is David Hogg becoming a "crisis actor," traveling here and there to tell his story and to push his gun control agenda?
I wonder if there is a tax-exempt non-profit foundation in Hogg's future?

Bottom line …

At this point in time, Officer Peterson has tendered his resignation and retired on his pension. There is no way of knowing whether or not the officer was a coward, froze in disbelief in the face of an existential threat, or was in shock. And it really doesn’t matter because the officer was not where he was supposed to be, at the time he was needed, and faithfully discharging the duties of his office. Whatever happened, the officer has been shamed by the President of the United States and has earned an ignoble place in the footnotes of history.

But that’s not the issue. It is uninformed students condemning my NRA (life member, benefactor level) for curtailing legislation that would have stopped this tragedy. Which is pure bull-pucky. The sad fact is that criminals and crazies do not respect or obey the law. And, if it weren’t a gun, it would have been another weapon. If the progressive mainstream media didn’t place this tragic incident on a 24/7 loop and advanced their political agenda on the backs of dead students, copycats would not be encouraged to act similarly – especially if they wanted their “suicide” to achieve national recognition.

You may feel for the students whose lives have been changed by this tragic incident, but do not make the mistake of confusing victimhood with either knowledge or credibility.

Ask yourself why progressive prosecutors plea-bargain away the most serious gun changes in order to secure a “guaranteed” conviction on lesser crimes? Why the progressive prosecutors do not use the laws on the books to prosecute and penalize those who steal weapons, are felons in possession of a weapon, or who sell weapons illegally? Why are people with initial weapons charges given early release?

Since criminals and crazies do not respect nor obey the law --- and we have enough laws on the books now --- we are clearly being failed by our politicians and those agencies they supervise.

-- steve

“Nullius in verba.”-- take nobody's word for it!

“Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.”-- George Bernard Shaw

“Progressive, liberal, Socialist, Marxist, Democratic Socialist -- they are all COMMUNISTS.”

“The key to fighting the craziness of the progressives is to hold them responsible for their actions, not their intentions.” – OCS

"The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." -- Marcus Aurelius

“A people that elect corrupt politicians, imposters, thieves, and traitors are not victims... but accomplices” -- George Orwell

“Fere libenter homines id quod volunt credunt." (The people gladly believe what they wish to.) ~Julius Caesar

“Describing the problem is quite different from knowing the solution. Except in politics." ~ OCS

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BAN PROGRESSIVE SOCIALIST DEMOCRATS, NOT GUNS

I can understand why highly emotional, angry, and frustrated children at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida demand that politicians do something to make them safer while at school. Unfortunately, it appears that these students are being guided by progressive socialist activists and are attacking the NRA.

And, being a victim does not equate to knowledge and credibility.

There are no laws on the books that would have prevented this shooting. If the perpetrator did not use a semi-automatic weapon “tricked out” to look like a so-called “assault rifle, he could have done just as much damage with a revolver with a speed loaded, a semi-automatic pistol, or any one of the semi-automatic rifles used for hunting. But then again, with the progressive socialists it is all about appearances, labels, and ignoring the Second Amendment of the Constitution.

Who in their right mind believes that the police can protect everybody? Or be where they are needed, when they are needed? In fact, you saw an armed, trained police officer fail to enter the school during the attack.

The media pundits point to the NRA and demand answers. The only answer is that criminals and crazies do not respect the law and if one weapon is unavailable they will use something else.

As a lifetime member of the NRA (Benefactor Level), I do not see my fellow members – of all colors, creeds, nationalities, sexes, genders, and classes – shooting up schools or being associated with violent criminal activities.

Bottom line …

While these “children” are entitled to their own opinion, I find their manipulated pleas nonsensical because they know little or nothing about the Second Amendment, the progressive agenda, and that disarming law-abiding citizens – such as the one who prevented a church massacre with his AR-15 – only enlarges the victim pool begging not to be shot.

Truth be told, you do not see these mass shootings perpetrated by Blacks and Hispanics, although they are subject to violent cultural influences, their communities awash in fully automatic weapons used by criminal drug gangs, and have more reason to be upset at the system than the white-bread snowflakes. The reason may be that these communities do not try to turn little boys into docile little girls with psychotropic medications.

It is time to tamp down the self-serving political rhetoric and bring some common sense to the discussion. Perhaps even to the extent of bringing gun instruction into the schools. I remember when my high school had a shooting team and an archery team. I know of nobody that was killed in either case.

We are so screwed.

-- steve

“Nullius in verba.”-- take nobody's word for it!

“Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.”-- George Bernard Shaw

“Progressive, liberal, Socialist, Marxist, Democratic Socialist -- they are all COMMUNISTS.”

“The key to fighting the craziness of the progressives is to hold them responsible for their actions, not their intentions.” – OCS

"The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." -- Marcus Aurelius

“A people that elect corrupt politicians, imposters, thieves, and traitors are not victims... but accomplices” -- George Orwell

“Fere libenter homines id quod volunt credunt." (The people gladly believe what they wish to.) ~Julius Caesar

“Describing the problem is quite different from knowing the solution. Except in politics." ~ OCS

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NYU AND ARAMARK: INSTITUTIONAL COWARDICE

There is little doubt in my mind that social media acts as an amplifier and echo chamber for any idiot who wants to voice their views. But one might expect that educational institutions and corporations would have the common decency and common sense to defend their employees against little more than the opinion of a loud-mouthed radical and racist.

To fire two black cooks for serving ribs is an abomination …

Black NYU Student Gets Two Black Cooks Fired for Serving ‘Racist’ Meal

A black student at New York University, which costs a mere $73,000 per year to attend, complained about a meal served in honor of Black History Month which included ribs, cornbread, collard greens, Kool-Aid, and watermelon-flavored water. As The New York Times reported, College of Arts & Science sophomore Nia Harris perceived the menu as racist and demanded an explanation for this atrocity from the head cook at Weinstein Passport Dining Hall.

He rightly dismissed her petulance and informed the student “that the Kool-Aid was actually fruit punch (it was not, she said) and that the dining hall served fruit-flavored water ‘all the time’ (it does, she said, but not watermelon).” Harris was also informed that the two men who planned the menu were black.

But the 19-year-old student wasn’t satisfied and shouted her plight on Facebook, screaming, “This is what it’s like to be a black student at New York University.”

The bad press from this disgustingly viral outburst got back to NYU, which promptly blamed the food service company Aramark who provided the cooks. Aramark then fired the employees, claiming they violated the company’s “longstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion."

[OCS: I personally knew the late Davre Davidson, the founder of the multibillion-dollar Aramark automatic vending, and while he believed in diversity and being inclusive, he was protective of his employees and did not suffer fools lightly. I cannot believe that the company he founded actually fired the two employees. But if they did, shame on them.]

This pleased Harris who gloated over the firings, according to the NYT:

In a phone interview Wednesday evening, Ms. Harris said she chose to believe that the Aramark employees had acted out of ignorance of their menu’s implications, not out of malice. But she added that, while she was glad they had been fired, it should not have been her responsibility to point out the problem — one that she said went far beyond a single incident.

[OCS: I was unaware that any particular group “owned” a food group. Southern cooking is not cultural appropriation but just another cuisine style that has been polarized and politicized by racists – the people who see everything though the prism of race and take every opportunity to divide rather than unite.]

What a way to celebrate Black History Month by getting two black men with menial jobs fired for something she admits was not done in malice. Harris must be proud of herself. Check that. Harris is very proud of her elitist, privileged self.

[OCS: I hope that a potential employer will discover Harris’ social media and newspaper coverage and decide that she might be too divisive to be hired and possibly represents a clear and present danger that the company will wind up in the media or court – suffering reputational damage for a tempest in a teapot.]

Bottom line ...

It is about time that the majority recognizes minority tyranny and stop giving blacks a free pass for criminal, wrongful, or divisive behavior. If blacks want to continue their communist-designed Black Liberation Theology revolution, it is time to call them out for their divisive and racist acts. One of my favorite meals consists of ribs, and because my birthday meal occurs in Black History month, this does not make me a racist.

Enough with the personal and political cowardice.

-- steve

“Nullius in verba.”-- take nobody's word for it!

“Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.”-- George Bernard Shaw

“Progressive, liberal, Socialist, Marxist, Democratic Socialist -- they are all COMMUNISTS.”

“The key to fighting the craziness of the progressives is to hold them responsible for their actions, not their intentions.” – OCS

"The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." -- Marcus Aurelius

“A people that elect corrupt politicians, imposters, thieves, and traitors are not victims... but accomplices” -- George Orwell

“Fere libenter homines id quod volunt credunt." (The people gladly believe what they wish to.) ~Julius Caesar

“Describing the problem is quite different from knowing the solution. Except in politics." ~ OCS

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2020: GEORGE CLOONEY + OPRAH WINFREY

I cannot believe the depths to which our national media and political parties have sunk if the progressive socialist Democrats are considering floating the names of two politically-ignorant actors for the Presidency and Vice-Presidency of the United States.

Have we not learned our lesson from former Presidents George Bush, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump – with Obama and Trump winging it in the Oval Office. At least Bush was the Governor of a populous state and came ready-equipped with a set of politically adept advisors unlike Obama (Valerie Jarrett, Ben Rhodes, Susan Rice) and Trump (insert the latest name here). Proving we are descending to the depths of socialism, tyranny, lawlessness, and mob rule led by the progressive media.

With leaders like Obama and Trump, no wonder the intelligence agencies and the bureaucrats believe they can actually run the government – because, with weak leaders, they really do! When will that weak-kneed Attorney General do his job and investigate and prosecute those who have run the government for their own benefit? When will the mainstream media actually count the millions of deaths attributable to communism and put the deaths of a relatively few individuals in perspective?

Not anytime soon I am afraid. This is bull-pucky of the highest order.

We are so screwed.

-- steve

“Nullius in verba.”-- take nobody's word for it!

“Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.”-- George Bernard Shaw

“Progressive, liberal, Socialist, Marxist, Democratic Socialist -- they are all COMMUNISTS.”

“The key to fighting the craziness of the progressives is to hold them responsible for their actions, not their intentions.” – OCS

"The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." -- Marcus Aurelius

“A people that elect corrupt politicians, imposters, thieves, and traitors are not victims... but accomplices” -- George Orwell

“Fere libenter homines id quod volunt credunt." (The people gladly believe what they wish to.) ~Julius Caesar

“Describing the problem is quite different from knowing the solution. Except in politics." ~ OCS

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ON THE SLIPPERY SLOPE TO PROGRESSIVE INSANITY

We are truly living in an Orwellian age, where the government appears to be run by activists and agitators; where science and reason have given way to feel-good faith-based nonsense …

Days after another school shooting, again involving a white, middle-class, boy that may have been prescribed psychotropic drugs, comes an article in the decidedly progressive Business Insider. The article is titled “What it’s like to actually hear voices in your head.” You need to see the video contained in this article.

There's a cultural stigma, especially in the US, that hearing voices in your head is inherently a sign of mental-health issues. There's a community of people on Reddit who have chosen to create voices in their heads, called tulpamancers. Their voices are called tulpas. Here's why this isn't a mental-health concern.

[OCS: With progressives, everything can be reduced to culture, stigmas, and victimhood. Almost as if they are oblivious to the fact that most stigmas were created as a social warning of unacceptable behaviors. People who choose to live in a fantasy world or alternative reality are definitely outliers on the spectrum of normally accepted behavior.]

- [Narrator] In pop culture, hearing voices is generally not perceived as a good thing.

- [Male Voice] I am Jack's smirking revenge.

- [Narrator] But there are people who find the voices in their heads to be therapeutic. They intentionally create these voices. They're called Tulpamancers. A Tulpamancer creates a Tulpa, similar to an imaginary friend but with a twist. These imaginary friends possess their own thoughts and emotions. They can act independently of their creator. Meet Jacob, he's a Tulpamancer. We met on Reddit and I reached out to learn what it's really like to hear voices.

[OCS: What would happen if one of these so-called Tulpas turned toxic and suggested an act of revenge for all of the real or imagined hurt inflicted on either the individual or their Tulpa?]

- [Jacob] About four and a half years ago decided to you could say, no longer be alone.

[OCS: Is there a problem where this individual cannot make friends or sustain relationships at his age – forcing a retreat into a fantasy world to avoid feeling bad?]

- [Narrator] Jacob is a 20 year old psychology student. He grew up in a military family and four and a half years ago he created a Tulpa, Aury. We interviewed Jacob, the Tulpamancer and his Tulpa, Aury. To keep track of who's talking look in the top right corner. If you see a purple pony, that's Aury.

[OCS: That the individual in the story is a young adult student gives one pause. And, you don’t need a visual representation of a purple pony to know who is talking. The voiced character sounds like a little girl’s voice.]

- Jacob and Aury are two people that live in the body that you're looking at right now.

- I am Aury. And I am a Tulpa. I see myself as a bat pony, as a pony with bat wings and glowing golden eyes and a gray coat and a midnight plume.

- [Narrator] So Jacob sees Aury as a pony. This is Doctor Samuel Vessiere. He's the first person to ever conduct research on the Tulpa community. He has a theory about why Jacob sees Aury as a pony. Because there are more things that one can do with the imagination they also provide, I don't want to call it an escape but they provide an opportunity to engage in a richer fantasy world. This is why many Tulpas have non-human forms, such as elves or ponies or sort of made up beings.

- [Narrator] Why would someone choose to create a Tulpa and hear voices?

- [Jacob] I would move every other year, being raised in the military and so I desperately needed someone who could stick with me.

- I think the purpose of a Tulpa fits the completely normal human urge to connect with other people. And to not be lonely and to be social. We are through and through evolution we are social beings.

[Clearly this is a coping or avoidance mechanism and may indicate some form of psychic trauma. This might be valid for a young child operating in a strange and unknown environment, but when one is a 20-year-old student, one might wonder if this is can be a sign of impending trouble or psychiatric issues?]

- [Narrator] Aury is able to possess the body and front, meaning she can control the body and speak for herself. Jacob and Ari have come up with two different methods for switching.

[OCS: Any time a fantasy character can take control and effectuate independent thoughts and actions should be considered troublesome. In essence you have an alter ego that might be beyond the control of a more rational mind.]

- There's a possession scene in the movie where someone who comes into the body grasps the hand of someone else and flips it and when they flip it, the identity, the entity that wants to possess the body flows into the body. And since seeing that, that's been a way that Aury and I have been able to quickly possess. So all I'm gonna do is relax my body and let go of tension. And just allow the presence that is Ari to flow in to my feet, and then my legs, then my midsection, then my arms, and then my neck. And when she begins to enter my head I hear my voice begin to travel into the back and I hear hers being to go into the front as she affirms that.

[OCS: Listen to how this individual invokes his imaginary character – indistinguishable from the relaxation technique used to induce self-hypnosis.]

- [Aury] Then I'm in front. Hello. Everything that people see Jacob do, I can do. Some areas better than him, some areas not as well.

[OCS: Including acting out, shooting a weapon, invoking a fit of anger.]

- [Narrator] So Ari lives in Jacob's mind. Typically, characters in pop culture with voices in their heads are associated with mental-health issues. Do Tulpamancers fall into that category?

- Even in the most conservative, medically-minded psychiatry, hearing voices is not in and of itself considered a problem. So hearing voices is only a problem if the person who hears them reports being distressed. And if other people around them also report being distressed.

[OCS: So, a mental health professional sees nothing amiss with a young adult who hears self-induced voices in his head and has the means to effectuate the thoughts of this fantasy character.]

- Once upon a time, my parents decided that my being LGBT was a mental illness that was symbolic of something going on in my head that shouldn't. They chose to blame Tulpas for changing me in some way or shape or form and they sent me to a clinical psychologist to check whether or not I had schizophrenia and the therapist told them straight up, "This isn't schizophrenia. "You can't give yourself schizophrenia. "Schizophrenia is something genetic. "It's not something you can give yourself with meditation."

[OCS: Being LGBT might account for some of the social issues and lack of connections. Maybe why this individual voices his fantasy friend in a little girl voice. It might not be schizophrenia, but it is “something” that needs to be investigated. Especially if this individual is taking psychotropic drugs.]

To continue reading the article in context, it can be found here …<Source>

Creating more victims?

In a world that requires some level of strength and resiliency to survive, it appears that the progressives are creating and encouraging more snowflakes – fragile people who require government intervention to prevent the outside world from intruding and interfering with their mental construction of a fantasy world.

- [Narrator] Unfortunately, the Internet isn't always the nicest place for Tulpamancers.

- Tulpamancers suffer quite a bit of bullying. I have read some very derogatory comments towards Tulpamancers because they're probably an easy target. They're very sincere, they're enthusiastic about their practice and they do something that is really radically different so it takes people the wrong way and as such, they become the target of bullying, which I find very unfortunate.

[OCS: It would be a simple matter for these individuals to reduce their internet and social media profile -- but they appear to have few, if any, friends and their lives are intertwined with social media in an unhealthy manner.

How soon will it be before the internet platforms begin taking proactive action to monitoring all conversations to “prevent” bullying and silence those voices with which they find fault?]

- [Narrator] But despite the bullying, Jacob has found comfort in Aury.

- [Aury] I like to think that I've made Jacob a better person. I think that with me around she not only takes better care of herself but better care of others.

[OCS: It appears that the “Tulpa” recognizes that the host might be transgender.]

Not to mention the progressive-dominated educational system that exposes youngsters to alternative sexual behavior at early age and now considers gender to be another fluid construct. The idea that one’s gender is “assigned” at birth based on anatomical or chromosomal features is an anathema to this crowd. It should be left to the individual to decide what gender they want to adopt. With hormone treatments and sexual reassignment surgery being covered by insurance.

More Progressive Insanity from the New York Times …

The Boys Are Not All Right by MICHAEL IAN BLACK

Last week, 17 people, most of them teenagers, were shot dead at a Florida school. Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School now joins the ranks of Sandy Hook, Virginia Tech, Columbine and too many other sites of American carnage. What do these shootings have in common? Guns, yes. But also, boys. Girls aren’t pulling the triggers. It’s boys. It’s almost always boys.

I would like men to use feminism as an inspiration, in the same way that feminists used the civil rights movement as theirs. I’m not advocating a quick fix. There isn’t one. But we have to start the conversation. Boys are broken, and I want to help.

America’s boys are broken. And it’s killing us. <Source: New York Times>

This schmuck is not an academic, but a progressive comedian, actor, and author. He is part of the pussification and weakening of American men. Had the putz been intellectually honest, maybe he would have noted a few facts:

(1) This is a recent phenomenon within the last 30 years – coinciding with the rise of progressivism in education and the use of psychotropic drugs.

(2) Twenty-nine out of the thirty-three mass shootings were perpetrated by white, middle-class, boys on psychotropic drugs –some found to be “clean” because they went off their meds.

(3) You do not see similar behavior among the poor, Black, or Hispanic community – mostly because they do not have the money or desire to send their children to psychiatrists or purchase psychotropic drugs. And, let us not forget that some of these minority communities are awash in weapons, many of them fully-automatic and used to support drug-dealing gangs.

(4) There are fewer and fewer men teachers or authority figures in schools and physical discipline (like swats) are a thing of the past. If a teacher even touches a child, someone files a police complaint or a lawsuit. Conversely, if a child acts out, the matter is escalated to the police, psychiatrists, and the progressive system that wants little boys to become little girls.

Bottom line …

I cannot help but think that this might be the beginning of a progressive trend to “cure” toxic masculinity and to further infantilize students. Giving them permission to live in the alternative reality that is the progressive’s world. Promoting a cultural shift that allows boys to remain little boys well into adulthood. Weakening the character of young men who may be called upon to defend themselves, their families, their neighbors, their community, and their nation in the near future.

I am not suggesting that anything is wrong with the individual that is the subject of the story, but of the academics and cultural elite that try to normalize this behavior and make it appear as an attractive alternative to facing the hard realities of today’s environment.

We are so screwed.

-- steve

“Nullius in verba.”-- take nobody's word for it!

“Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.”-- George Bernard Shaw

“Progressive, liberal, Socialist, Marxist, Democratic Socialist -- they are all COMMUNISTS.”

“The key to fighting the craziness of the progressives is to hold them responsible for their actions, not their intentions.” – OCS

"The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." -- Marcus Aurelius

“A people that elect corrupt politicians, imposters, thieves, and traitors are not victims... but accomplices” -- George Orwell

“Fere libenter homines id quod volunt credunt." (The people gladly believe what they wish to.) ~Julius Caesar

“Describing the problem is quite different from knowing the solution. Except in politics." ~ OCS

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ARMED TEACHERS: TRUMP DOES NOT UNDERSTAND HOW TO WORK PROGRESSIVES

Once again, President Donald Trump, himself a progressive New Yorker, does not understand how to get the progressives to allow trained and armed teachers in the schools.

The answer is so simple as to be ludicrous.

Simply offer to pay them as police officers with cushy benefits, early retirement, and all of the perks and privileges of sworn personnel without the rigorous POST (Police Officers Standards and Training) and physical training and the public employee unions will sense a pension windfall and ram through any required legislation.

It is simple as that.

-- steve

“Nullius in verba.”-- take nobody's word for it!

“Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.”-- George Bernard Shaw

“Progressive, liberal, Socialist, Marxist, Democratic Socialist -- they are all COMMUNISTS.”

“The key to fighting the craziness of the progressives is to hold them responsible for their actions, not their intentions.” – OCS

"The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." -- Marcus Aurelius

“A people that elect corrupt politicians, imposters, thieves, and traitors are not victims... but accomplices” -- George Orwell

“Fere libenter homines id quod volunt credunt." (The people gladly believe what they wish to.) ~Julius Caesar

“Describing the problem is quite different from knowing the solution. Except in politics." ~ OCS

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THE OTHER BILL OF AMERICAN BILL OF RIGHTS ...

I would like to share a short essay written by Louis Napper, a Libertarian Party candidate during his 2000 campaign against Senator Trent Lott (R-MS). Napper’s message even resonated among the progressive socialist Democrats to the extent that even the gay lobby supported his candidacy. “With exception to backing Libertarian Lewis Napper, Mississippi Gay Lobby's official endorsements run consistent with the Democratic party.” <Source>

It should serve to highlight the fact that not all American buy-in to the “American Dream” or wish our country well …

We, the sensible people of the United States, in an attempt to help everyone get along, restore some semblance of justice, avoid any more riots, keep our nation safe, promote positive behavior and secure the blessings of debt-free liberty to ourselves and our great-great-great grandchildren, hereby try one more time to ordain and establish some common sense guidelines for the terminally whiny, guilt-ridden, delusional and other liberal, commie, pinko bedwetters.

[OCS: I guess the term privileged snowflake had not come in to popular use when this was written in 1999. Nor did the author see the that the GOP has become the party corrupted by complacency. Where RINOs (Republicans in Name Only) like Senator John McCain, Lindsey Graham, and others – including Mitt Romney – jump the aisle to join demonstrably un-American politicians wreak havoc on this blessed nation.]

We hold these truths to be self-evident: that a whole lot of people were confused by the Bill of Rights and are so dim that they require a Bill of No Rights.

ARTICLE I: You do not have the right to a new car, big screen color TV or any other form of wealth. More power to you if you can legally acquire them, but no one is guaranteeing anything.

[I find it amazing that the poorest among us often have large-screen televisions, satellite dishes, and live beyond the wildest dreams of people in other, less fortunate countries. Yet these are the people who often are screaming the loudest about wealth inequality, social justice, and exhibit a hatred for our country. These are the people who point to socialist/communist people’s paradise but ignore the fact that people from these regions are pouring into the United States, with few defections crossing the other way over protected borders.]

ARTICLE II: You do not have the right to never be offended. This country is based on freedom, and that means freedom for everyone—not just you! You may leave the room, turn the channel, express a different opinion, etc., but the world is full of idiots, and probably always will be.

[OCS: Ask yourself why those who speak about free speech are often the very ones to suppress it? Why the people who claim to be tolerant are among the most intolerant among us? And the people that shout racism and bigotry at the top of their lungs are among the most bigoted, biased, and racist among us? Want an example? Look at the Black Congressional Caucus where many are socialists or communists and everything is viewed through the prism of race – the rest of their constituents be damned.]

ARTICLE III: You do not have the right to be free from harm. If you stick a screwdriver in your eye, learn to be more careful, do not expect the tool manufacturer to make you and all your relatives independently wealthy.

[OCS: Commonsense dictates that police, fire, medical, and other critical services cannot be everywhere they are needed, when they are needed. And, that the delay could cost you your life – whether or not from a heart attack or a murderous assailant. Yet, those who defend themselves often find themselves responsible for the initiators and perpetrators of crimes. And, even worse, the tool manufacturer (i.e. gun manufacturer) is assigned a greater portion of the blame than the individual who has chosen to pull the trigger. Life is a risky business and you assume the risk – insuring to mitigate risks where practically and financially practical.]

ARTICLE IV: You do not have the right to free food and housing. Americans are the most charitable people to be found, and will gladly help anyone in need, but we are quickly growing weary of subsidizing generation after generation of professional couch potatoes who achieve nothing more than the creation of another generation of professional couch potatoes.

[OCS: Here in California we have approximately one-third of the welfare recipients in the nation. Which should come as no surprise given the generous benefits provided by a political system whose engorged unionized bureaucracy profits from servicing the “poverty” industry. The true extent of the giving is almost always masked by grants to religious organizations who actually provide the services to the needy. The idea that you need two-years of government assistance to find a job which supports your family and is “fulfilling” is nonsense. So is the idea of the $100,000 janitor and $30,000 burger flipper]

ARTICLE V: You do not have the right to free health care. That would be nice, but from the looks of public housing, we’re just not interested in public health care.

[OCS: If you believe that your government, elected officials and bureaucrats, can manage a healthcare system, one need only look at the healthcare provided to our veterans and American Indians – or the healthcare provided in poor and minority areas. It should come as no surprise that you control the economy through the control of energy and that you control the populace by controlling healthcare.]

ARTICLE VI: You do not have the right to physically harm other people. If you kidnap, rape, intentionally maim or kill someone, don’t be surprised if the rest of us get together and kill you.

[OCS: Commonsense would tell you that crazies and criminals do not respect the law and that we do not need any more gun control laws. Murder is already a crime. Assault is already a crime. And gun-free zones only produce soft-targets that enlarge the potential victim pool. As for so-called “hate crimes,” you are just as dead if your murderer called you one of those upsetting names than you would be if they never spoke a word.]

ARTICLE VII: You do not have the right to the possessions of others. If you rob, cheat or coerce away the goods or services of other citizens, don’t be surprised if the rest of us get together and lock you away in a place where you still won’t have the right to a big-screen color TV or a life of leisure.

[OCS: It is amazing that the politicians are willing to severely punish criminals (with some exceptions for minorities) but like all other legislation, exempt themselves from the consequences of the legislation they impose on “We the People.” Wealth redistribution – the legal looting of America’s private property – is little more than a political scheme to gain and maintain political power by purchasing votes with other people’s money.]

ARTICLE VIII: You don’t have the right to demand that our children risk their lives in foreign wars to soothe your aching conscience. We hate oppressive governments and won’t lift a finger to stop you from going to fight if you’d like. However, we do not enjoy parenting the entire world and do not want to spend so much of our time battling each and every little tyrant with a military uniform and funny hat.

[OCS: War is big business.Not only do the defense contractors make money hand-over-fist, but they also provide jobs to voters in sensitive political districts. Our government is hiding the true costs of conflict by using independent contractors whose tragic deaths do not have to be reported and are out of the media spotlight. Is there little doubt that some of those BILLIONS of missing dollars (often arriving on pallets stacked high with shrink-wrapped hundred-dollar bills) do not find their way back to our domestic politicians and special interests? In conflict, the enemy always has a vote – not so much the American citizen.]

ARTICLE IX: You don’t have the right to a job. All of us sure want you to have one, and will gladly help you along in hard times, but we expect you to take advantage of the opportunities in education and vocational training laid before you to make yourself useful.

[OCS: Have you ever noticed that not only do the progressive socialist Democrats claim you have a right to a job, but attempt to coerce you into a socialist-inspired union to protect your job from a management who is trying to curb waste, fraud, and abuse in the workforce? It should surprise nobody that the key tenets of socialism are the state’s ownership of formerly private property and control over the means of production along with the labor required to survive.]

ARTICLE X: You do not have the right to happiness. Being an American means that you have the right to pursue happiness—which by the way, is a lot easier if you are unencumbered by an overabundance of idiotic laws created by those of you who were confused by the Bill of Rights.

[This is one of the key differentiators between the progressive socialist democrats and other Americans. Americans believe in equal opportunity and progressives believe in a strong central totalitarian government needed to produce equal outcomes. Even if those outcomes mean shared misery, suffering, and a life spent working for the state you theoretically control.]

<Source: Backwoods Home Magazine Issue #56 • March/April, 1999>

Bottom line ...

We are so screwed.

-- steve

“Nullius in verba.”-- take nobody's word for it!

“Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.”-- George Bernard Shaw

“Progressive, liberal, Socialist, Marxist, Democratic Socialist -- they are all COMMUNISTS.”

“The key to fighting the craziness of the progressives is to hold them responsible for their actions, not their intentions.” – OCS

"The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." -- Marcus Aurelius

“A people that elect corrupt politicians, imposters, thieves, and traitors are not victims... but accomplices” -- George Orwell

“Fere libenter homines id quod volunt credunt." (The people gladly believe what they wish to.) ~Julius Caesar

“Describing the problem is quite different from knowing the solution. Except in politics." ~ OCS

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WHY TRUMP?

Why is the mainstream media seem so blind to the fact that the Russian collusion happened on Barack Obama’s watch?

The misuse of the intelligence agencies to spy on domestic Americans happened on Barack Obama’s watch.
The Hillary email scandal, the compromise of the DNC and other email systems happened on Obama’s watch.
The compromise of the Department of Justice and Federal Bureau of Investigation to cover-up Obama Administration scandals happened on Barack Obama’s watch.

So I have but a few basic questions:

Why Trump?
Why is the GOP sitting back and watching the Obamacons in the bureaucracy and the mainstream media continue with a materially false narrative?
Does Obama and his Administration get a pass because he is Black?
Did the FBI and the intelligence agencies compromise the GOP leadership and are they being blackmailed into submission.
Or, is it simply a case of GOP corruption by complacency?

“Nullius in verba.”-- take nobody's word for it!

“Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.”-- George Bernard Shaw

“Progressive, liberal, Socialist, Marxist, Democratic Socialist -- they are all COMMUNISTS.”

“The key to fighting the craziness of the progressives is to hold them responsible for their actions, not their intentions.” – OCS

"The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." -- Marcus Aurelius

“A people that elect corrupt politicians, imposters, thieves, and traitors are not victims... but accomplices” -- George Orwell

“Fere libenter homines id quod volunt credunt." (The people gladly believe what they wish to.) ~Julius Caesar

“Describing the problem is quite different from knowing the solution. Except in politics." ~ OCS

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AMERICAN ASSOCIATION for the ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE THROWS SCIENCE UNDER THE BUS IN FAVOR OF FASHION AND POLITICS

It appears that the scientific method has been marginalized by polarization and politicization to the extent that you are no longer a researcher seeking the truth, but are either a demagogue or denier.

It is with some measure of disgust that I read that the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the largest science organization in the world, has awarded one of its honors to a known liar and hypocrite.

Pennsylvania State University professor and climate scientist Michael E. Mann has been selected to receive the 2018 AAAS Public Engagement with Science Award. The honor recognizes Mann’s “tireless efforts to communicate the science of climate change to the media, public and policymakers.”

[OCS: There is little or no doubt that Michael Mann has made tireless efforts to communicate what he perceives to be the science of climate change to anyone who will listen. Unfortunately, Mann, the creator of the now discredited “hockey stick” has helped to turn climate science into a religion. A religion where one simply accepts the prevailing and fashionable dogma on faith; and where questioning the dogma marks one as an apostate to be censured, shunned, or even jailed.]

In the past year, Mann has had 500 media interviews and appearances and directly reached public audiences via social media. His op-eds and commentaries have been published in dozens of outlets, including The Washington Post, The Guardian, Le Monde, CNN and The New York Times. He has also advised actor Leonardo DiCaprio, who spoke about climate change during a 2014 speech delivered to the United Nations.

[OCS: In the world of Hollywood and the audience-seeking mainstream media, what appears to be shameless self-promotion to others is a virtue. The fact that Mann advised an actor on climate change just reinforces the fact that actors are well-paid to deliver the written words of others in a manner that conveys sincerity and truthfulness. Perhaps why they are call “actors.” At least Mann can actually understand the science whereas DiCaprio appears to be an aging actor seeking relevance and attention to feather his own nest.]

Mann was nominated by Susan Hassol, director of Climate Communication, a nonprofit science and outreach project. In her nomination letter, Hassol wrote that in one year, “Mann has done more to engage with the public on science than most active scientist-communicators do in an entire career.”

[OCS: Most scientists curtail their speech to their own field where they speak with knowledge and demonstrable authority. They take questions from the crowd and make their datasets and programs open to others for the purposes of verification, extension, and even falsification. Such is the role of a scientist pursuing the truth.]

“There is no scientist reaching greater numbers of people with such depth of communication as Michael Mann,” Hassol wrote.

[OCS: there is little or no depth to Mann’s communications other than to repeat his mantra that climate change is a planetary emergency (yes, he was an advisor to Al Gore), climate change is man-made, and the driver of climate change is carbon dioxide. All demonstrably false or questionable – that is if Mann and his cohorts are willing to engage with reputable scientists with differing levels of belief.]

Mann has used a variety of media to communicate about the effects of climate change, including the 2017 publication of his third book, The Madhouse Effect. For this effort, he teamed up with Pulitzer Prize-winning political cartoonist Tom Toles to explore public perception of climate change. “[Mann’s] understanding of how to combine humor, art and science for effective outreach is part of what makes him such an effective communicator,” wrote Hassol.

[OCS, speaking of Cartoons … perhaps one might wish to look at Scott Adam’s viewpoint which comes painfully close to the truth.

Many people notice the resemblance between the cartoon scientist and Michael Mann.]

He was also a featured speaker during the 2017 March for Science in Washington, DC, and has testified before Congress. In addition to outreach efforts, Mann continues to conduct and publish research. He is the author of more than 200 peer-reviewed and edited publications and serves as director of the Earth System Science Center at Pennsylvania State University.

[OCS: If I remember correctly, Michael Mann was part of a cabal revealed by the stolen Climategate emails which attempted to subvert the process of peer review, including advocates reviewing each other’s papers while preventing non-advocates from being published. Then there was the revelation of “Mike’s trick” where Mann couldn’t get his tree-ring data to fit his conclusion so he grafted-on a modern temperature dataset with little disclosure.]

In 2017, Mann was recognized with the Schneider Award from ClimateOne and the National Association of Geoscience Teachers’ James H. Shea Award. He was also inducted into the Green Industry Hall of Fame. He was elected a AAAS fellow in 2015.

Mann earned a bachelor of arts degree in physics and applied mathematics from the University of California, Berkeley and a master of science degree, as well as two master of philosophy degrees, at Yale University. He completed his Ph.D. at Yale University in 1998.

The AAAS Award for Public Engagement with Science, established in 1987, recognizes scientists and engineers who make outstanding contributions to the “popularization of science.” The award conveys a monetary prize of $5,000, a commemorative plaque and complimentary registration and travel to the AAAS Annual Meeting. <Source>

If anything, Michael Mann should be given an award for the monetization of science. The fact that he is doing the bidding of politicians to implement self-serving and draconian freedom-altering public policies using science to drive their corrupt agenda apparently means nothing to Mann. Billions of dollars have been pumped into institutions, scientists, and projects which purport to advance the need for political and financial interventions lest the planet burn itself to a crisp. And, if one were intellectually honest, one might note that science that promotes the political agenda appears to be getting massively funded when studies that falsify or question the dogma get the scraps.

Bottom line …

Mann, who used to claim he was a Nobel Prize awardee because he was a member of the true awardee, the IPCC (the political body known as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change), is not credible, trustworthy, or reliable when it comes to planetary emergencies. The Earth has been hotter, colder, with more atmospheric carbon dioxide and less carbon dioxide – and we are still here. To cherry-pick a thirty-year baseline and use that to calculate temperature anomalies is bull-pucky.

When faced with investigating Mann’s academic integrity, I believe that his University (Penn State) may have applied the very same diligence and effort they applied to their feted coach, Joe Paterno, and the sex scandal where money appeared to trump truth. And isn’t the former progressive Democrat congressman from New Jersey, Rush Holt, the CEO of the AAAS?

The blatant falsehoods and misleading assumptions made by climate fanatics often make it impossible to have a genuine discussion about the science itself. The climate is always changing, the Sun and other physical phenomena continue to drive the change, man remains inconsequential, and the people are sold a bill of goods by political charlatans advancing their own agenda of self-interest.

We are so screwed.

“Nullius in verba.”-- take nobody's word for it!

“Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.”-- George Bernard Shaw

“Progressive, liberal, Socialist, Marxist, Democratic Socialist -- they are all COMMUNISTS.”

“The key to fighting the craziness of the progressives is to hold them responsible for their actions, not their intentions.” – OCS

"The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." -- Marcus Aurelius

“A people that elect corrupt politicians, imposters, thieves, and traitors are not victims... but accomplices” -- George Orwell

“Fere libenter homines id quod volunt credunt." (The people gladly believe what they wish to.) ~Julius Caesar

“Describing the problem is quite different from knowing the solution. Except in politics." ~ OCS

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