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Marc's Musings

"If the French aren't willing to fight for themselves, why should we commit American lives?" – President Roosevelt, 1943 (after four years of Nazi occupation of France.)

What would the world look like if Roosevelt had actually said that?

(Commentary from James Jacobin)

  1. Invade a place with no strategic value
  2. Shoot anybody who shoots at you
  3. If they don't stop shooting at you, go home and blame the indigenous government.

After the Taliban secured Kandahar, Afghanistan's second largest city, the U. S. State Department advised all Americans to leave Afghanistan immediately. This was followed by Joe's order to send 3,000 infantry to evacuate the embassy in Kabul.

So, to the 3,577 service members who died, the tens of thousands of wounded, maimed, and psychologically damaged, and the thousands who have taken their own lives, the U.S. government would kindly like to offer a very large MEH.

Not to mention the $6.9T billed to the taxpayer for this colossal charlie foxtrot.

Ironically, this was a truly bi-partisan disaster, so if you think the answer to America's problems is Congress working together, think again.

In a SkyNews interview, UK PM Boris Johnson said the reduction in COVID-19 mortality and hospitalizations is not due to the vaccine program, but to the lockdowns.

Given that every other country has touted the safety and efficacy of the vaccines (and the statistics that are – at best – inconclusive regarding the effectiveness of lockdowns), maybe the UK government's response to the SARS-CoV-2 virus really has been less about public safety and more about subjugation.

Headline: "Fruit baskets from 4th century BC found in mysterious ruins of Thonis-Heracleion"

Proof that no one in history has ever wanted a fruit basket as a gift.

When one considers celebrity baby names like Moon Unit Zappa, Blanket Jackson, and Apple Martin, it is disappointing there has not been an Abby Normal.

Since the 1970's, I've heard grumblings about a global conspiracy anchored by David Rockefeller to surreptitiously reduce the world's population through eugenics, abortion, involuntary sterilization, and other invisible and nefarious means.

If this conspiracy does in fact exist, might I suggest a new game plan?

Art credit: Clevercapybara

Is gravity a function of the geometry (astrometry?) of spacetime as Einstein predicted or is it the function of a force-carrier particle (graviton) as suggested by the Soviets?

The answer is important because a gravity drive powered craft is conceivable if gravity is created by gravitons and one can generate enough of them ( assuming we knew what gravitons were and how to make them ).

However, if gravity is a function of the curvature of spacetime, then the only way to create gravity is to create mass, and that makes the prospect of a gravity drive more difficult - as in: it's difficult to keep several Jupiter masses in your pocket.

It's unfortunate that people have been convinced that free speech is not a civil right.

"The first amendment … is bonkers" – Harry Montbatten-Windsor.

Spoken like a true imperialist.

Congress shall make no law abridging the right of the people peaceably to assemble.

Split infinitives. Dogging grammarians since 1787.

Clown B is getting a bit uppity. What was wrong with Clown A, again? Oh, right …

Remind me, which article of the Constitution grants the president the authority to tell people what to do?

After ~50,000 tweets and single-handedly keeping the platform relevant for five years, Donald Trump was invited to leave Twitter in January and not come back.

The Donald has taken to publishing his own blog where he has posts that are a whole five sentences long! Who says you can't teach an old Don new tricks?

 

Joe Biden is continuing the disturbing trend started by Donald Trump of spending millions of dollars to send letters to Americans telling them what a great and wonderful guy he is because he signed a bill.

In this instance, the letter described the money being sent to citizens that the government borrowed from the central bank - money that must be repaid by guess-whom?

The explanation for Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit failing the race day drug test is that one of the grooms (horse attendants) drank cough syrup, urinated on some hay, and the horse ate the hay.

This perfectly plausible chain of events resulted in the horse having more than twice the allowed amount of betamethasone (corticosteroid) in its blood.

How much betamethasone syrup would someone have to drink for the excreted amount to pop in a half-ton horse?

(The fact that betamethasone syrup is not prescribed for coughs is something we'll let his attorneys worry about).

Headline: Essential Quality first gray horse favored to win Kentucky Derby in 25 years

Some days it must be difficult to be a journalist (I know it's difficult to be a news consumser)

"In March, the United States, Britain and members of the European Union blocked a World Trade Organization proposal backed by roughly 80 nations, including India and South Africa, to waive patent protections for coronavirus vaccines." – chron.com

Yes, IP protections have been known to drive innovation. Those innovations may come at the cost of another three million lives.

A study conducted by the British NHS concluded that people with a previous SARS-CoV-2 infection have a 7% chance of re-infection compared to the 5% chance of reinfection after receiving the Pfizer vaccine (6% Moderna, 30% Astra-Zeneca, 33% J&J).

So, why does the CDC recommend getting vaccinated after infection?