Foreign money, US influence

Just another reason to suspect that the Russian collusion investigation is bogus.  It is actually LEGAL for foreign governments to ...

"hire middlemen–US PR firms, lobbyists and law groups–to write our laws, meet with US government officials, arrange interviews with US media, places op-eds in news publications and generate positive social media."-Sharyl Attkisson

So, where's the beef about Russia?  Even if it is true?  No laws have been broken, and as a matter of fact, it is actually ROUTINE.

Foreign Money, US Influence https://t.co/0EmzfGzbv2

— Greg Meadows (@BootsandOilBlog) April 7, 2018

The Collapse of Western Civilization, Part IV - by Robert Ringer

The Collapse of Western Civilization, Part IV - by Robert Ringer: As noted in Part III of this article, the premise of the anything-goes society is that people have a right to have their desires fulfilled, which brings to mind Margaret Thatcher’s simple but profound insight, “The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people’s money.” In the early stages of the …



comment:



It seems appropriate to point out that the only way to stopping this is to make the argument against it.  Ringer is making an argument against the things that are leading this country downward.  The problem isn't a lack of Ringers, the problem is the lack of people at the top of the ladder who refuse to even make the argument, and then let the people decide.



What the media and the left want to do is to squash any attempt for this to happen.  You can see it with their attempt to silence any opposition to their point of view.  Therefore, you view is not desired, and is suppressed.



Either we make ourselves heard over the attempts to censor us, or we will have to fight.  The left is giving us no other choice.

The Collapse of Western Civilization, Part I - by Robert Ringer

The Collapse of Western Civilization, Part I - by Robert Ringer: (The following article is an adaptation based on material from my 1983 book, How You Can Find Happiness During the Collapse of Western Civilization.) No matter who controls the House, Senate, and executive branch of our government, the drive to disassemble American culture — and, on a broader scale, Western culture — continues almost unabated.  …

comment:

Can Western Civilization be saved?  The only way is through the ballot box.  That is, unless you want to wage a war to preserve our culture.  Unfortunately, such a war could be lost, and the results would be even worse.

Update:

Part II:

Ringer says that there was a shift from individualism towards collectivism ( not in so many words, but my take )

Part III:

comment:  This was a bit of a surprise, as Ringer seems to believe that the ballot box was the problem, not the solution.  I'd say there is a bit of a disagreement between myself and what he is writing here.

I'd say it is as simple as a total disregard for truth.  The Fake everything school of the Cultural Marxists helped to bring that about, with their postmodernism.

But, I do agree that absolute democracy is a non-starter.  The Framers of the Constitution thought so as well, and produced a Republic, not a democracy.

Without the ballot box, there can be no solution outside of violence, however.

Part IV ( coming)

Obligatory, 4.6.18

Been spending a lot of time reading up on Elon Musk's plans to colonize Mars.  It still seems fanciful to me for the one reason that nobody seems to mention anywhere--- where's the advantage to doing this?  Is this going to expand the economy, or drive it into bankruptcy?

There is no compelling economic advantage to colonizing Mars.  However, it may be useful as a place to launch expeditions to mine asteroids.  These might be sufficient to support a small colony on Mars by the selling of these ores to Earth.  If there is no trade goods being produced on Mars, it becomes something of a dependency of Earth.  It needs some way to establish itself and stand upon its own two feet.  Otherwise, it can only exist as a whim of some folks with very deep pockets.  Once those people die off, then who steps up to fund the colony?

Mars is a much smaller planet, and it would take a lot less energy to escape its gravity well.  It is a natural place to establish a base for space operations.  That could be a rationale for colonizing it.  Otherwise, what are you going to do there?  Admire the scenery?

Update on same day:

Elon Musk's claims that he could rocket somebody to the other side of the world for a competitive price also seems doubtful, according to this article.

Hype won't get you to your goal.  He needs to keep delivering on his tech, then he can start talking about prices.

Update:

Here's an economic analysis of Musk's claims.  Nextbigfuture seems a bit optimistic.  A hundred of these rockets in a fleet?  Governments balk at those kind of numbers.

The harder I run, the behinder I get

Well, actually, I cannot run.  All the same, I seem to be falling behind.  Checking out the NextBigFuture site used to be a daily thing for me.  Seems like I haven't been to that site for quite awhile.

Lots of stuff going on that I didn't know about.  Lots of stuff going on that I did know about, but have progressed further.

An intriguing thought was the assertion that a trip to Mars with the BFR would be easy.  This would include refueling, of course.

A capability for refueling could help out a lot, but there's a lot of work to do just the same.

BTW, Spacex is trying to put up an internet broadband service in Earth orbit.  This would make internet access available worldwide.  Not to mention a lot of new customers.

If Elon Musk's plans work out, could he become the first trillionaire?

Pearl Jam -- Better Man

This song's meaning puzzles me.  It seems like it is about a gal who appreciates her man, but then she is said to be lying...

What does that mean?

She can't find a better man?  Of course.  She is looking for a better man, but cannot find one.  She is not with him because she loves him, but because she cannot find a better man.

Pearl Jam has something of a reputation for the dark side.  So, if I am right, then the dark side here is that she will eventually leave the guy for the "better man".

Is Elon Musk a con artist?

There is a negative article out about Tesla.

My opinion of Tesla is that it cannot work from an engineering perspective.

There are those who think otherwise, but the problem is with the batteries.  They weigh too much.

I'd prefer a hydrogen fuel cell approach, but that is not what Musk is doing.  Since he believes in AGW, his entire premise is questionable.  But a fuel cell car can be made to work, provided that the power comes from nuclear energy.  The infrastructure for transport of hydrogen can be solved by using ammonia as the hydrogen carrier.  That infrastructure for ammonia transport already exists.  But Musk's preoccupation with so-called green technology may doom his cars.  Solar power for cars?  Come off it.

One thing I really like is his reusable rockets.  That is first class.  As for that achievement, I was doubtful at first.  So, what the heck do I know?  His idea of transporting 100 people at a time to Mars seems rather fanciful, however.  We'll have to see on that one.

He needs an energy source in order to feed all those people and keep them alive for months at a time.  Then he has to do it on Mars, which has no way of supporting anybody at this time.  Much work has to go into the project before he can even put a handful of people on the surface for any length of time at all.  Solar power on Mars is also doubtful.  You lose a lot from the distance from the Sun.

One last thing:  if his cars are so good, he should be able to make money.  So far, he has not.  Seems to me that he needs subsidies for his cars.  Without subsidies, his car company won't make it.  On the other hand, rockets will always need government assistance.  He will always have a market for cheap rockets.  He can compete with other rocket companies for government money.

Musk can con people into buying his stocks for his car company fantasy.  But it will never work as an economic enterprise.  Neither will his Mars colony.  He needs to solve some ginormous technical problems first.

His ideas appeal to people with expansive imaginations, but we live in a real world, with real limitations.

How Trump’s Presidency Will Be Judged

How Trump’s Presidency Will Be Judged: By Patrick J. Buchanan

On many issues — naming Scalia-like judges and backing Reagan-like tax cuts — President Trump is a conventional Republican.

Where he was exceptional in 2016, where he stood out starkly from his GOP rivals, where he won decisive states like Pennsylvania, was on his uniquely Trumpian agenda to put America and Americans first — from which the Bush Republicans recoiled.

Trump alone pledged to kill amnesty and secure the border with a 30-foot wall to halt the invasion of our country.Read more on Buchanan.Org...[ emphasis added ]



comment:



Why should putting America first be controversial?

Power of Corruption

Pray for victory over corruption before it is victorious over us.

Dennis Prager - The Terrible Power of Corruption https://t.co/sz7KGxhMR7

— Greg Meadows (@BootsandOilBlog) April 2, 2018

Thorcon news

Molten-salt reactor technology is coming.  ( whether you like it or not )

Let us not forget that this technology could have been employed in the seventies.  There was no need for this long delay.  But, better late than never.

ThorConIsle will generate electric power cheaper than coal-fired plants, using shipyard construction technology and high-temperature, low-pressure molten salt containing thorium and uranium fuel. pic.twitter.com/J9qYFmpML2

— Thorcon Power (@ThorconPower) March 28, 2018

Day of contemplation

Today was Easter, which I wanted to observe for a change.  Not normally do I do this, but this year is different.

Rather than do anything like work or chores, I did some reading.  My usual reading, as a matter of fact.  Come to think of it, maybe not so much of a different today after all.

Anyway, the name C.S. Lewis came up in a comment upon one of the Conservative Treehouse's posts.  The term "screwtape letters" was mentioned, so I googled it, and learned a few things that I didn't know.

Was it a day well-spent?  Who knows, but at least I did what I wanted.  I usually do, anyway.

Does the name Chuck Colson ring a bell?  He was one of Nixon's men, who spent some time in jail, as a consequence of the Watergate Scandal.  It says here that he converted to Christianity based upon this book by Lewis.