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IRS: CRIME NOW PAYS -- ESPECIALLY FOR THE IRS AND BIDEN ADMINISTRATION

Like prioritizing the needs of criminals over victims, the government doesn’t want to end crime; they want to profit from it…

TAXES-THIEF

Ever since the days of Al Capone and his conviction for tax evasion, I was under the impression that the proceeds of all criminal activity were taxable. So why is the Internal Revenue Service now making a pitch to the general public? Especially when it appears that billions of dollars are flowing through the economy from drug deals, bribes, stolen goods, prostitution, or other illegal activity such as government corruption, money laundering involving high-priced real estate, art, and other investments.

As a reminder, we want our share... 

From IRS Publication 17 (2021), Your Federal Income Tax -- for Individuals (For use in preparing 2021 Returns)

Illegal activities.

Income from illegal activities, such as money from dealing illegal drugs, must be included in your income on Schedule 1 (Form 1040), line 8z, or on Schedule C (Form 1040) if from your self-employment activity.

Stolen property.

If you steal property, you must report its fair market value in your income in the year you steal it unless you return it to its rightful owner in the same year.

Bribes.

If you receive a bribe, include it in your income.

Kickbacks.

You must include kickbacks, side commissions, push money, or similar payments you receive in your income on Schedule 1 (Form 1040), line 8z, or on Schedule C (Form 1040) if from your self-employment activity.

Above the law…

As we have seen over the past eight years, it appears that there is a two-tier legal system in play. A system where billions of dollars of taxpayer money, some of it purpose-printed, disappeared in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other corrupt countries – much of it in the form of palletized one-hundred-dollar bills. And virtually no one has been held accountable.

And then we see billions filtering through government contractors and non-governmental organizations whose accounting systems seem defective by design. Who is tracking the money flowing through our educational system? Where is the sister organization to the Internal Revenue Service to track government waste, fraud, and abuse? And don’t tell me it is the GAO (Government Accountability Office because they produce reports, not public employee accountability.

Questions…

Do organized crime families now have to W-2 the organization’s soldiers, or 1099 them as independent contractors? Are expenses incurred in generating illicit income tax deductible? Are gold chains, fast cars, and weapons deductible as tools of the trade? Is a hitman an independent contractor? What about multi-national crime syndicates domiciled in foreign countries? Are they to be treated as those multi-billion-dollar corporations that pay little or no taxes? Do snitches and confidential informants have to pay taxes on the government’s payments?

What about members of Congress profiting from insider information? If you hold stolen money or goods for more than six months, is it taxed at capital gains rates, or is it ordinary income for the purposes of taxation? 

Bottom line…

Our tax code, written for insiders, lawyers, accountants, and lobbyists, is in desperate need of reform and simplification. More importantly, we need to reduce taxes and simultaneously reduce government spending on frivolous non-prioritized necessities. We need to reduce government waste, fraud, and abuse. We need to re-think corporate taxation. And reduce the number of self-serving laws created for those who can pay tax attorneys and others to tease out loopholes in the system.

We are so screwed.

-- steve


“Nullius in verba”-- take nobody's word for it!
"Acta non verba" -- actions not words

“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


ARE CONSULTANTS SELLING OUT AMERICA FOR PROFIT?

I wonder about the patriotism of those who provide advice to our government or is it all about money?

For those unfamiliar with McKinsey & Company, they are the premier worldwide management consultancy providing organizational, technical expertise, research, and advice in various practice areas to governments, corporations, and other organizations. Beyond providing actionable advice, they also serve as a second opinion to ratify executive actions while insulating executives from the consequences of their decisions.

But what happens when a consultant’s advice mirrors the fashionable beliefs of the day, or they accept false premises advanced by their clients?

MK-HDR

Defense organizations are a major source of carbon emissions. How can they operate more sustainably while preserving mission-critical capabilities?

[OCS: The question is backward. It should be, “How can the American military enhance or preserve mission-critical capabilities regardless of a faux global agenda set by our enemies?”]

Climate change is high on the global agenda. In the run-up to the 26th United Nations Climate Change (COP26) conference in Glasgow, governments and companies worldwide are announcing ambitious new decarbonization targets to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.

[OCS: There is a saying in the military, “the enemy gets a vote.” But why would you allow the United Nations, filled with despots, dictators, anti-America sentiment, and outright hostility toward anything American, to set the agenda for the most exceptional nation on the planet?

Especially when that political organization’s primary goal is to make itself financially sustainable without member contributions, the seat of global governance that can breach a nation’s sovereignty, and is totally and thoroughly corrupt? And serves as a forum for America's enemies who can outvote or table American initiatives?] 

While climate change as a national security matter is well understood, there is little consensus about how to align defense forces to address it.

[OCS: One, you align defense forces to keep your nation strong, sovereign, and able to protect itself and its citizens. Two, climate change is not a matter of immediate national security, given its effects are only observable over geological time scales of hundreds, thousands, and even millions of years. And three, there is no planetary emergency as envisioned by corrupt politicians cherry-picking favorable scientific tidbits and publicized by a corrupt hysterical mainstream media.]

For defense forces, climate change brings wide-ranging risks, from undermining military assets to destabilizing societies to triggering conflict over resources.

[OCS: The primary risk facing the United States and its military is the corrupt politicians who form a fifth column to destroy America from within using our own Constitution and America's legal system as a potent attack weapon.

Many of our politicians have been corrupted by foreign hostile powers, and our government infiltrated by foreign agents. Politicians who do not face conventional security checks have already compromised the leadership of this nation’s premier intelligence and law enforcement agencies – and are in the process of neutering our military using politically attuned senior leadership like General Mark Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Admiral Mike Gilday, Chief of Naval Operations, to pursue their toxic un-American agenda.

And what better way to weaken our military than to force the use of costly and less efficient “green fuels” or to sow dissention in the ranks by introducing race into a “green and blue” military force?

The only thing undermining America's military are corrupt politicians and complicit pet general officers. And there has always been, and will always be, global conflicts over natural resources.]

Defense forces, which typically account for at least 50 percent of governments’ carbon emissions, could help prevent these risks by taking dramatic action to decarbonize and reduce emissions.

[OCS: Beyond the fact that any risks were created out of whole cloth by corrupt politicians, it is not in our national interests to curtail our military in any way while our enemies, namely China. Russia, North Korea, Iran, and others are strengthening their respective militaries without regard to this artificially created climate crisis by politicians who want to destroy or subjugate America.

Why are we the only nation not refreshing and augmenting our strategic and tactical nuclear capabilities? Democrats and their fellow travelers.]

Defense departments will encounter challenges when attempting to reduce the emissions for which they are directly responsible because of the primacy of having mission-critical capability (that is, the ability to achieve a desired effect in a specific operating environment), long equipment life cycles (which means fossil-fuel-powered equipment in use now, or coming into service shortly, will still be fielded in 2050), and an increased focus on niches with high emission intensity, such as space launch.

[OCS: Today's major challenge will be to improvise, adapt and overcome the mission-crippling nonsense put forth by corrupt politicians who leak national defense secrets on the pages of the New York Times or aired by CNN and MSNBC. It should be a given that military equipment and operations should be exempt from any restrictions that impair their effectiveness and efficiency.]

In consequence, a complete elimination of all defense emissions is unlikely by 2050.

[OCS: If you believe the bullpucky put out by the Chinese Communists, the ChiComs will be the dominant power in the world in the near future – and they will have leveraged America’s great strength against itself. This is a stupid goal put forth by corrupt individuals.]

A net-zero defense force will therefore need to find ways to compensate for these remaining emissions, such as by pursuing offsets in countries with high climate-change risk or by pushing for decarbonization beyond their own emissions.

[OCS: Are you saying wealth redistribution and investment in foreign counties to the detriment of the United States will make America better and stronger? To which I say, F*ck you and the horse you rode in on!]

<Source>

There is no doubt in my mind that this article, as well as similar articles from other consultancies, is an implicit business pitch targeted at those in government who want to affirm their un-American viewpoint while isolating themselves from the consequences – including adverse media – of their corrupt actions.

I do not blame McKinsey & Company for their business pitch. Still, I have to wonder what advice they may be giving other governments or companies overtly or covertly owned, governed, or influenced by hostile foreign nations.

Bottom line…

Our enemies are laughing at our national naïveté, the corruptness of our politicians, and the cheapness and ease at which our politicians and industry leaders can be compromised. I am still waiting for an explanation why a Chinese Communist spy in Senator Dianne Feinstein’s office for nearly twenty years was allowed to retire rather than being sent to prison, especially since Feinstein served on the Senate Intelligence Committee. Or why  Eric Swalwell is still on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence after being sexually compromised by a Communist Chinese operative.

Enough of this Marxist/Mao/Leninist-inspired woke nonsense. It is time to quit looking for white supremacists in the military and restore good order and discipline, including taking a harder look at those above the rank of  Lt. Colonel to see who has been compromised by political corruption. Stop altering the rules of engagement to favor foreign combatants and eliminate lawyers from combat operations.

Let the military do what they do best, kill the enemy and break things. It’s tough to witness (and better not to be) collateral damage, but that’s the price civilians pay for not controlling their politicians who place them in that position. Our country is under attack, from within and without. It’s time to wake up and realize that the Democrat Party has been captured by the enemy and is no longer to be trusted with the defense of our country when it comes to both our foreign and domestic enemies.

Perhaps it is not good business to stand up and tell the truth, but it is a hell of a lot better than being Nike, capitalizing on slave labor and declaring, “Nike is a brand that is of China and for China.”

We are so screwed.

-- steve

ArmedServices-MIA


“Nullius in verba”-- take nobody's word for it!
"Acta non verba" -- actions not words

“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


BLACKLASH: I AM TIRED OF LISTENING TO RACIST, RADICAL, MARXIST, INCOMPETENT BLACK GRIFTERS

No, it’s not racist that I am tired of listening to individuals exploiting their color for power, position, prestige, profits.

Racist-grifters

The iconic broadcaster Rush Limbaugh was criticized for referring to Barack Obama as the “Magic Negro.” Like much of what Rush said, there was a truth to be discovered. For those unfamiliar with the term “Magic Negro,” it is a term of art used in books and movies.

The Magical Negro is a trope in cinema, television, and literature: the character is typically, but not always, "in some way outwardly or inwardly disabled, either by discrimination, disability or social constraint". The Negro is often a janitor or prisoner. The character often has no past but simply appears one day to help the white protagonist.

In March 2007, American critic David Ehrenstein used the title "Obama the 'Magic Negro'" for an editorial he wrote for the Los Angeles Times, in which he described Barack Obama's image in white American culture:

He's there to assuage white 'guilt' (i.e., the "minimal discomfort" they feel) over the role of slavery and racial segregation in American history, while replacing stereotypes of a dangerous, highly sexualized black man with a benign figure for whom interracial sexual congress holds no interest ... The only mud that momentarily stuck was criticism (white and black alike) concerning Obama's alleged 'inauthenticity', as compared to such sterling examples of "genuine" blackness as Al Sharpton and Snoop Dogg. ... Obama's fame right now has little to do with his political record ... Like a comic-book superhero, Obama is there to help, out of the sheer goodness of a heart we need not know or understand. For as with all Magic Negroes, the less real he seems, the more desirable he becomes. If he were real, white America couldn't project all its fantasies of curative black benevolence on him. <Source>

[OCS: If Al Sharpton, a race-baiting extortionist, and Snoop Dogg, a dope-smoking thug turned celebrity, are examples of “authentic blacks,” what does that say about those in the black community who are patriotic, hardworking individuals who embrace family values, church, and community?

As for Obama, he is little more than an articulate trained communist revolutionary with a benign façade that belies his true nature, a Marxist grifter who enjoys the finer things in life and who lives life away from the black community; returning from time-to-time to burnish his black credentials.

As for white guilt, that is mostly a construct of white liberal women who seek meaning and a sense of belonging in a cause – along with their feminized male counterparts. For most grifters, racial strife is a necessity, much as a carpenter needs a hammer to earn his living.

And no matter how you slice and dice the statistics, black crime is disproportionately represented in our community and giving criminals a pass to destroy our communities is un-American, period.]

A false history…

1619 Project Creator: I Don’t ‘Understand This Idea That Parents Should Decide What’s Being Taught’ in School

The creator of The New York Times’ 1619 Project said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday she doesn’t understand the argument “that parents should decide what’s being taught” to their children in school.

The 1619 Project was created by Nikole Hannah-Jones, a writer for The New York Times, and it promotes the idea that America’s “true founding” occurred when slaves arrived in the Colonies, framing the history of the country around race and slavery. <Source>

[OCS: An example of your typical educated race-baiter and grifter, a malevolent radical blacks demonizing convention as they proceed to tear down existing society.]

Nikole Hannah-Jones Calls Opposition To Critical Race Theory, 1619 Project ‘Dangerous’

[MSNBC host Joy] Reid agreed, citing the “national security threat of white nationalism.” She asked Hannah-Jones what she thought about merging critical race theory – which she claimed has “nothing to do with K – 12 education” – with the 1619 Project as a way of “vilifying” her work and spreading a “dangerous narrative.”

Hannah-Jones claimed that many teachers have not even heard of critical race theory, saying that people are afraid of narratives that challenge “power.”

“That’s what we’re seeing, is a need to hold on to and maintain that power and divide that social movement toward justice by making white Americans, at least a segment of them who will be susceptible to this message believe, no, actually you’re under attack,” Hannah-Jones said. “They’re trying to take your history. They’ve gone too far.” <Source>

[OCS: A classic case of progressive communist democrat projection, reporting their actual behavior as an act of their opposition. The truth is that the 1619 Project is re-writing history and contains numerous falsehoods and fallacies.]

Some black individuals recognize the truth…

It’s Time For Black Americans To Embrace A Post-Racial America

We are bombarded with messages claiming America is overflowing with systemic racism and white supremacists. Even the National Council on Family Relations now labels the traditional two-parent family an extension of white privilege. If you listen exclusively to the news media, the entertainment industry, and the academic-industrial complex, you will be surprised to learn this truth: This is the least racist period in the history of our country.

To be clear, we do have racist people in our country that do bad things to people, but the country is not systemically racist. To put it another way: If you look for racism in this country, you’ll find it. If you look for opportunities, you will find them 100 times over.

For far too long, we have watched our black communities destroyed from within. As a community, we are worse off now than we were before the Civil Rights Era. We have it within our power to move forward and begin a transition of healing and growth that is long overdue. And we do not need government help or funds to accomplish this transformation.

We are missing out on opportunities in this country to which we are fully entitled as American citizens, opportunities that seem to be clearly visible to nearly everyone except native-born black Americans. Many of us are blinded by tears of anger, mistrust, and misunderstanding that lead to decisions that are not in our own best interests.

Today, black American citizens who have legally immigrated from the Caribbean Islands and African countries like Nigeria earn significantly higher incomes than native-born black Americans. They achieve higher levels of education. They are living the American dream civil rights leaders desired for us. Many of these new citizens came to the country with intact families, which helped with their achievement and integration. Another reason for their success is they have not been indoctrinated by years of anti-white, anti-American, and anti-capitalist hatred.

Now, to all Americans: Our shared history transcends political parties, race, religion, and class. It is a shared humanity that binds us together like the intertwined roots and branches of trees in a dense forest. Organized groups are igniting forest fires to divide and destroy our unique American culture.  It’s imperative that we not only extinguish their efforts, but foster a new movement that nurtures, unites, and strengthens us as Americans, regardless of race, for generations to come. <Source>

Bottom line…

So, I say to those racist, radical, Marxist, incompetent black grifters, get on a plane to any country where you find acceptance, better treatment, access to government benefits, and people to listen and believe your bullshit.

Folks, vote competence over color, patriotism over disaffection and disloyalty.

We are so screwed.

-- steve


“Nullius in verba”-- take nobody's word for it!
"Acta non verba" -- actions not words

“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


DOES FAUCI'S PRESCRIPTION PROMOTE THE PROGRESSIVE COMMUNIST DEMOCRAT AGENDA?

Fauci: beyond public health…

Fauci-public-health

There is no doubt that we live in an unbelievably complex biosphere hurtling through the universe. A biosphere filled with known and unknown risks, some of which may be catastrophic to life as we know it. From external threats like an asteroid strike, internal physical hazards such as volcanoes, earthquakes, and fires to biological threats of hostile pathogens created by nature and man. A world made infinitely more dangerous by scientists who are playing God with the modification and introduction of new life-threatening pathogens – either to save lives as preventatives and therapeutics or to take lives as agents of biological warfare.

But it is the hubris of man that poses the most danger. The belief that that man can create, modify and control pathogens without the risk of escape into the environment – creating a near-lethal pandemic. Even worse, man’s arrogance to believe that human nature, the propensity of man to take convenient and cost-saving shortcuts, can be ignored – especially in societies where life is cheap and expendable.

And, as former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel reminds us, it is natural to use crises to promote political agendas which are more about accreting political power and control than to save any particular group of lives. Against this singular power perspective, do we examine some excerpts of Dr. Fauci’s published writings?

Excerpts from Emerging Pandemic Diseases: How We Got to COVID-19…

Living in greater harmony with nature will require changes in human behavior as well as other radical changes that may take decades to achieve: rebuilding the infrastructures of human existence, from cities to homes to workplaces, to water and sewer systems, to recreational and gatherings venues. In such a transformation we will need to prioritize changes in those human behaviors that constitute risks for the emergence of infectious diseases. Chief among them are reducing crowding at home, work, and in public places as well as minimizing environmental perturbations such as deforestation, intense urbanization, and intensive animal farming. Equally important are ending global poverty, improving sanitation and hygiene, and reducing unsafe exposure to animals, so that humans and potential human pathogens have limited opportunities for contact.

[OCS: Essentially, this is the progressive communist democrat de-growth movement in a nutshell. Ceding our future to unelected elites and credentialed experts. A future, as described, requiring a unified governing body and an authoritarian regime.]

It is a useful “thought experiment” to note that until recent decades and centuries, many deadly pandemic diseases either did not exist or were not significant problems. Cholera, for example, was not known in the West until the late 1700s and became pandemic only because of human crowding and international travel, which allowed new access of the bacteria in regional Asian ecosystems to the unsanitary water and sewer systems that characterized cities throughout the Western world.

[OCS: Where was Dr. Fauci when the President of the United States urged travel restrictions from infected areas? (Fauci, who opposed China travel ban and praised their transparency, criticizes Trump response.) How can Fauci continue his flip-flopping? And what of those travelers who traveled to cities outside the banned borders and then entered the United States? There is no doubt in my mind that politics were driving public health through hyper-political bureaucrats like Fauci. Fauci has been at the helm for decades when we saw the flu and other potential pandemics arise from China and Africa – and did nothing to protect the United States. We saw a dishonest World Health Organization prioritize politics over health – with a significant part of its funding coming from American taxpayers and urged on by Dr. Fauci.]

This realization leads us to suspect that some, and probably very many, of the living improvements achieved over recent centuries come at a high cost that we pay in deadly disease emergences. Since we cannot return to ancient times, can we at least use lessons from those times to bend modernity in a safer direction? These are questions to be answered by all societies and their leaders, philosophers, builders, and thinkers and those involved in appreciating and influencing the environmental determinants of human health.

[OCS: At what expense to our inalienable rights and constitutionally-guaranteed freedoms? It seems that our leaders, philosophers, builders, and thinkers are more motivated by power, prestige, and profits than they are the public good. Leading to the question, who can be trusted?]

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS

SARS-CoV-2 is a deadly addition to the long list of microbial threats to the human species. It forces us to adapt, react, and reconsider the nature of our relationship to the natural world. Emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases are epiphenomena of human existence and our interactions with each other, and with nature. As human societies grow in size and complexity, we create an endless variety of opportunities for genetically unstable infectious agents to emerge into the unfilled ecologic niches we continue to create. There is nothing new about this situation, except that we now live in a human-dominated world in which our increasingly extreme alterations of the environment induce increasingly extreme backlashes from nature.

[OCS: Only a few people conceived and funded the gain of function research that most likely led to this near-fatal catastrophe. Only a few people collaborated with our enemies to provide dual-use research that was being considered as the basis of bio-weapons. And, only a few people tried to cover-up or delay the consequences of their actions.]

Science will surely bring us many life-saving drugs, vaccines, and diagnostics; however, there is no reason to think that these alone can overcome the threat of ever more frequent and deadly emergences of infectious diseases. Evidence suggests that SARS, MERS, and COVID-19 are only the latest examples of a deadly barrage of coming coronavirus and other emergences.

The COVID-19 pandemic is yet another reminder, added to the rapidly growing archive of historical reminders, that in a human-dominated world, in which our human activities represent aggressive, damaging, and unbalanced interactions with nature, we will increasingly provoke new disease emergences. We remain at risk for the foreseeable future. COVID-19 is among the most vivid wake-up calls in over a century. It should force us to begin to think in earnest and collectively about living in more thoughtful and creative harmony with nature, even as we plan for nature’s inevitable, and always unexpected, surprises.

Perspective -- Emerging Pandemic Diseases: How We Got to COVID-19
David M. Morens and Anthony S. Fauci
PERSPECTIVE| VOLUME 182, ISSUE 5, P1077-1092, SEPTEMBER 03, 2020
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2020.08.021

The absolute truth and the big government lie...

No government has the power to eliminate disease. They might be able to slow down the spread of disease in regional areas using quarantines, but lacking absolute control over the population, this is unlikely as there will always be those who violate the law. Somewhat akin to a physician changing gloves but wearing the same lab coat as he travels between patients.

Control measures like vaccination passports, mask mandates, mass testing, and vaccination mandates are mostly political maneuvers to gain political power and have yet to be scientifically validated, with some measures having adverse or unforeseen consequences. They are designed to provide the illusion of government action and competence and require a measure of faith in the government and devotion to its dictates.

The near cult-like worship of Saint Fauci is an example of malign political motives and is little more than an attempt to provide the political message of the day. Other experts, equally credentials and experienced, have questions both Fauci's motivation and methodology -- both of which come up short when measured by facts produced by an adherence to the scientific method. 

The Left Goes Wild After Fauci Admits CDC Guideline Change Is About Economics

"The reason is that with the sheer volume of new cases that we are having and that we expect to continue with Omicron, one of the things we want to be careful of is that we don't have so many people out," Dr. Anthony Fauci explains why CDC changed Covid isolation guidelines.

What’s funny about this is that now the folks on the left are mad at Fauci and the government for making it so plain that it isn’t just about public health — that economics and the political factored into the decision. If you look at the quote tweets of that Fauci interview, many on the left were furious at the evil government willing to risk the lives of workers. <Source>

Bottom line…

There is little doubt in my mind that Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases, and Dr. Peter Daszak, President of the nonprofit, non-governmental organization known as EcoHealth Alliance, were part of a conspiracy to fund, collaborate, and then cover-up gain-of-function research involving coronaviruses with the Communist Chinese Wuhan Institute of Virology.

And instead of lying, leaking, and attempting to manufacture phony Trump impeachment scenarios, Representative Adam Schiff (D-CA), Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, should be investigating Fauci and Friends concerning treasonous high crimes and misdemeanors for disobeying restrictions on gain-of-function research resulting in the mass murder of American citizens at the hand of a hostile military power.

We are so screwed when we cannot trust our elected leaders and unelected bureaucrat-experts to put aside self-interests and political power ploys and act in the best interests of America and all American citizens.

-- steve


“Nullius in verba”-- take nobody's word for it!
"Acta non verba" -- actions not words

“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


WHAT THE ASSOCIATED PRESS DIDN'T SAY

The headline reads, “Outlets hurt by dwindling public interest in news in 2021,” but their analysis is woefully inadequate. It’s what they don’t say that’s important.

Msnbc

  1. The mainstream news is an echo chamber, almost endlessly recycling the same information 24/7 to fill time allotments.
  2. The mainstream media is biased, with sympathies extending to the progressive communist democrats and leading to shrill and preachy pronouncements.
  3. Much of the mainstream content is narrative, biased commentary, or outright demonstrable lies like the various Trump hoaxes they have never apologized for.
  4. Many reporters rely on re-writes of Tweets and other third-party source material.
  5. It is far easier to read curated news aggregators than the media itself, allowing one to pick and choose stories of interest from multiple sources rather than from a single source outlet.
  6. The major news outlets refuse to apologize for flawed, erroneous, or downright deceptive reporting for the last six years.

The mainstream media has lost almost all of its journalistic credibility, and the public does not know who to trust.

NEW YORK (AP) — The presidential election, pandemic and racial reckoning were stories that drove intense interest and engagement to news outlets in 2020. To a large degree, 2021 represented the inevitable hangover.

[OCS: Most mainstream outlets refused to carry stories of credible threats to election integrity or egregious violations of our election laws by one party, the Democrats. Likewise, the media promoted a narrative regarding the origin and the actual statistics regarding the pandemic, often using the false metric of “cases” to drive the administrations fear campaign or fight against the “Trump Vaccine.” And few reported that the racial reckoning was mostly driven by queer socialists who were promoting racism and violence.]

Various metrics illustrate the dwindling popularity of news content.

[OCS: Popularity is the wrong metric for news content – it should be the credibility of the media outlet and the accuracy of its reporting. And, with most of the mainstream media, credibility and accuracy were abysmally low and are getting lower each day.]

Cable news networks were the main form of evening entertainment for millions of Americans last year. In 2021, weekday prime-time viewership dropped 38% at CNN, 34% at Fox News Channel and 25% at MSNBC, according to the Nielsen company.

[OCS: Notice the author uses the word entertainment, not education nor enlightenment. Most news is not entertaining. Something well understood by the old media moguls who saw their news divisions as cost centers to be paid for by advertising and the revenue from entertaining programming.]

The decline was less steep but still significant at broadcast television evening newscasts: 12% at ABC’s “World News Tonight” and the “CBS Evening News;” 14% at NBC’s “Nightly News,” Nielsen said.

The Trump era saw explosive subscriber growth for some digital news sites like The New York Times and Washington Post. Yet readers aren’t spending as much time there; Comscore said the number of unique visitors to the Post’s site was down 44% in November compared to November 2020, and down 34% at the Times.

For the most part, smart news executives knew the peaks of 2020 were not sustainable.

“It was entirely predictable,” said news media analyst Ken Doctor.

[OCS: Trump warned of the crash in audience when he left office. Even the pathetic attempts of CNN and MSNBC to keep Trump in the news led to declining results.

Perhaps that was most obvious at the cable news networks. They built a prime-time model almost entirely focused on political combat during the Trump years, which made it difficult for them to pivot to something different, said Tom Rosenstiel, a journalism professor at the University of Maryland.

“You become, to some extent, a prisoner of the audience you built,” Rosenstiel said.

[OCS: There was plenty of “other” news available – only the media outlets refused to report it or misreported it the news in accordance with the prevailing administration narrative.]

“What we’re seeing this year is kind of a watershed moment in the pivot from a print business model that is diminishing to a digital model that is beginning to take shape,” said Timothy Franklin, Abernathy’s colleague at Northwestern.

[OCS: And we are seeing over-the-air programming give way to streaming services and personality- or subject-driven videocasts or audio podcasts.]

Local news outlets saw a boost in digital subscriptions as people sought information in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. While interest in pandemic news has waned, Abernathy said she believes the outlets have done well in keeping many of those new subscribers. <Source>

Bottom line…

As long as progressive communist democrat narratives influence or drive the news, they are doomed to perpetual audience loss and shifts.

We are so screwed when we can’t believe our elected officials, bureaucratic spokespeople, and news celebrities and commentators.

-- steve


“Nullius in verba”-- take nobody's word for it!
"Acta non verba" -- actions not words

“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


MY PERSPECTIVE ON POLITICS AND POLITICIANS

POLITICS=POLITICIANS

Politics…

It is a universally accepted fact that politics is a dirty business, and politicians are crooked egomaniacs with the faux charm of a con artist. But have you ever taken the time to think about politics and politicians?

I grew up thinking that Republicans represented specific American core values: low taxes, balanced budgets, limited government, and a propensity to stay out of the private lives of American citizens.

I couldn't have been more wrong. Regardless of the political party, it was all a charade; a means to gain control of the system and to ensure that they, their family, and their friends, both personal and political, enjoyed the largess provided by the American taxpayer. Where accounting systems were defective by design and the bureaucracy is forever perpetuating and justifying its existence.

It is an illusion that we have a choice when it comes to selecting those who represent us.  The only choice we have is among those who have been pre-chosen for us by powers beyond our comprehension or control.

We often claim to know the emperor has no clothes but do not speak up or take action. We leave it to others, and that's when things go awry.

This is, of course, not a new story but a familiar tale that must be told and re-told until it motivates someone to put down their damned iPhone and pay attention to the chaos and corruption surrounding them and choking our nation to death.

Washington…

Washington is a peculiar land, where there are no lies, only misperceptions, and misunderstandings. Thoughts conditioned on understandings presented by staff, gleaned from the media, or inculcated into the culture as "things everybody knows to be true."

Money, sex, and power are transmutable into each other and serve as political currency -- pursued with intense, relentless fervor. The conventional tensions between them sparking bright during their transformation.

Everyone wants access, favors, or to drop a renowned name. Power originates from saying "yes" when the default position is "no." Those who create and manage scarcity, real or imagined, are the gatekeepers to fortunes.

Everybody speaks about future benefits as if a history of past failures did not exist -- hoping to kick the proverbial can down the road far enough to avoid the consequences of one's decisions.

A land where perception trumps reality and the real power accretes to the accomplished persuader.

There is something curious and unnatural about the decaying offices of political power that exist within the capitol complex. Perhaps why legislators are so eager to conduct business elsewhere, mainly bars, restaurants, golf clubs, and whorehouses.

The history of politics is a trail of good intentions and intermittent honesty gone amiss. Or at least the veneer of good intentions covering the corpus of corruption.

On politicians…

Most politicians come from somewhere else and find themselves easily corrupted by the power, prestige, and profits that flow from their position.

The average politician is possessed of unremarkable good looks and a remarkably inflated ego-- living in a bubble of false good cheer and feigned high spirits.

They resemble each other to the extent that we do not need to know too much about them other than the letters after their name, party and state in parentheses, and their committee assignments.

They are all manipulators and users of people. Disingenuous conversationalists telling people what they want to hear. They are cynical, calculating, opportunistic, and sometimes delusional.

They are steeped in an environment in which threats, coercion, blackmail, and illicit quid pro quo deals are made to seem commonplace. A life characterized by venality and continuing doubt about their ability to be reelected.

A life filled with often paralyzing ambiguities that manifest as inconclusive conclusions.

Politicians are always selling someone out: their constituency, their donors, their party, their nation, and most of all, themselves as they morph into political whores.

Media: where the bullshit never stops...

The media moguls and tech tyrants have America by the balls. They are posing as shills and propagandists for an administration handing out goodies including advertising revenue, contracts, grants, subsidies, tax breaks, and refraining from looking at industry consolidation as potential anti-trust violations. Because of the corporate ownership of the means of communication, there is no impetus to investigate governmental wrongdoing or speaking truth to power other than a tepid notice on page 24, lower-left half of the page.

Then there is that wonderful exhibition of participatory democracy, the televised town hall, with its pre-selected audience and partisan moderators smiling disingenuously as they ask their gotcha questions and argue with participants as if they were part of the debate.

The motto of most media outlets should be emblazoned on their lintel: "narrative over news." With wall plaques reminding one to entertain as they indoctrinate.

It is challenging to get the straight news unless you are tuned to the contrarians' underground circuits, including those of so-called conspiracy theorists. Unfortunately, what the media cannot censor or cancel, they label as conspiracy theories. But who could have anticipated that the leadership of our premier intelligence and law enforcement agencies would be heavily politicized -- compromised and producing several attempted coups and cover-ups. Conspiracies turned into harsh realities -- proven by sworn testimony and documentary evidence in a court of law.

The main problem with the media is that nobody holds them accountable for the lies and distortions they parrot as propagandists. Sorry, that journalism degree from an elite university is worthless if all you reports are re-written Twitter Tweets. Journalists have lost their capacity, to tell the truth, first to their corporate masters and then to the American public.

Where are we going?

We continue to elect the worst of the best or the best of the worst. I can't tell the difference anymore, and the political parties are useless, shoving corrupt liars into positions of consequence that affect the world and, more importantly, our lives—often choosing color, gender, or ethnicity over competence.

I am beginning to adopt a fatalistic viewpoint – one of death by decay. One of fables and fairytales spun by those with the loudest voices. Idiots who believe Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat, and Instagram mirror real life.

For those with an almost magical faith in a particular political savior, remember it is a long way from the environs of "somewhere else" to a bleak and brutal Washington. A journey best taken by a man who believes politics and serving your country is a calling rather than a profession.

At present, no one has captured the imagination of a majority of American voters. Pray, we are not so divided that a fringe candidate can tip the tide and flood a foundering ship of state.

There are no new truths, only recycled political myths spun by those seeking your support.

And if there is anything I despise, it is progressive communist democrats, armored in false virtue and pretending to have the moral superiority that conveys the privilege of telling me how to live my life.

We are so screwed.

-- steve


“Nullius in verba”-- take nobody's word for it!
"Acta non verba" -- actions not words

“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


CDR. RICHARD MARCINKO: ANOTHER AMERICAN HERO HAS PASSED

One of the most unusual and accomplished Navy SEALs has passed…

Marcinko

November 21, 1940 - December 25, 2021

The first commanding officer of SEAL Team Six reads like an unbelievable fiction novel. There is nothing more that can be said about an individual who made John Wayne, Chuck Norris, and the other “tough guys” look like pussies.

Rest in Peace “Demo Dick.”

-- steve


“Nullius in verba”-- take nobody's word for it!
"Acta non verba" -- actions not words

“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


IS THIS AT&T&'S NEW BUSINESS MODEL?

Individually, the great majority of AT&T personnel are decent people. However, AT&T the corporation is about what you would expect from a near-monopoly driven by the need to satisfy Wall Street and keep those executive bonuses intact.

Att-logo-work

But today, I am pissed. My residential landline telephone is without a dial tone for the second time in weeks. It is possibly caused by heavy rain. 

“The Procedure”

STEP ONE: Logon to your AT&T account on your computer.

Att-a

Att-bSTEP TWO: Dial AT&T’s 24/7 Support Line…

STEP THREE: Listen carefully, navigate the menu, enter all requested information.

STEP FOUR: Select the option to speak to a live agent.

STEP FIVE:   Message: Our office is closed. Please call back during regular business hours.

STEP SIX:  Logon to your computer account again and submit a ticket.

STEP SEVEN: Refrain from swearing as the automated system tells you your issue will be resolved in eleven days. Followed by the message about repair projections being computed by the number of reported incidents and the number of repair technicians available.

Rep-time

A “new” business model?

I can’t help but wonder if poor service on landlines is part of the strategy to “nudge” customers into abandoning traditional landline service for more modern cellular service? On some level, it makes perfect sense as a business strategy.

Much of the residential copper-based telephone connectivity infrastructure has aged beyond its projected life and continues to decay and crumble over time. Decaying infrastructure requires more maintenance personnel to manage repair, replacement, and build-out as needed. More personnel, especially more unionized personnel, equals constantly rising salaries, healthcare, and pension benefits without corresponding productivity increases. Rising inflation makes the situation worse as interest rates, repair materials, and personnel costs increase.

Even with microwave, satellite, and fiber links, the last miles to a customer’s home remains problematic. Pricing for landline service remains a delicate dance between consumer outrage, political considerations involving public utility regulation, and, of course, profit to satisfy both the executives and the Wall Street Wizards.

The increasing use of cellular communications is making us less resilient and represents a growing danger in times of emergency…

Cell sites handling thousands of calls are prone to power outages, antenna misalignment, natural disasters, hacking, deliberate jamming, and sabotage. Lives that require immediate 9-1-1 assistance and homes protected by cellular systems may be more vulnerable in a natural disaster and with more significant consequences than landlines. <Preparedness Facts: Cellphone vs. landline>

Bottom line…

Yes, I am pissed at AT&T, especially since this is the second outage in weeks. But it does provide the opportunity to re-think your emergency preparedness preparations.

We are so screwed.

-- steve


“Nullius in verba”-- take nobody's word for it!
"Acta non verba" -- actions not words

“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


'TIS THE DAY AFTER CHRISTMAS

Westlake
Dugiedog-3
Meat
ArmedServices-MIA


“Nullius in verba”-- take nobody's word for it!
"Acta non verba" -- actions not words

“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


A REMINDER -- SCAMMERS NEVER SLEEP

A reminder...

Holidays, time zones, and national boundaries mean nothing to scammers as they prey on the curious or gullible to click that link and download their malware.

Phish-1


“Nullius in verba”-- take nobody's word for it!
"Acta non verba" -- actions not words

“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