No trucks flowing into NYC, no diesel being consumed. TAKE A GOOD LOOK, FELLAS.

[Jan van Eck + 7,558]

12 minutes ago, Ward Smith said:

I don't want this to hijack your thread

Well, it ended up that way! Cheers.   Enjoy your freedoms!   Many very brave men died for them. 

[Jan van Eck + 7,558]

18 minutes ago, Ward Smith said:

Even the right to vote wasn't automatically conferred on "citizens" but only free landowners.

Nope.  Voting rights were and are controlled by the States, who set the criteria for being enrolled on the voting ledgers.  Up until about WWII if you stepped off the boat in Boston Harbor you got enrolled as a voter, your arrival on US soil was about one day.  The idea of "being a citizen" in order to vote is something dreamed up very recently in US history, and right now that is heavily brainwashed into the minds of the US public  (mostly because they don't know any better).  Somewhere between 1950 and 2000 the US Congress passed legislation that only citizens could vote for President.  But if, for example, the State of Rhode Island wants to set any resident as having the right to vote for Governor, then that State is entirely free to do so.  The whole concept of "citizenship" is a bit of an anomaly. 

[Eyes Wide Open + 3,555]

31 minutes ago, 0R0 said:

Eliminate the DOJ? drop its standing in court so that it can't bring cases on its own behalf.  Barr is crackers. Make sure that nobody ever has the power the DOJ does. Not to speak of what Barr wants.

BARR made a statement 

 

34 minutes ago, 0R0 said:

Eliminate the DOJ? drop its standing in court so that it can't bring cases on its own behalf.  Barr is crackers. Make sure that nobody ever has the power the DOJ does. Not to speak of what Barr wants.

Barr is anything but crackers, making the statement that he has made in his position of authority bodes very badly for the institutions of this country. 

To many crisis all at once...Or perhaps a series of crisis finally coming to a head.

[Jan van Eck + 7,558]

1 hour ago, Ward Smith said:

Show me the words where it says all rights occur because you've set foot here. It took multiple interpretations by multiple activist judges to torture the words in that document into the meaning they chose. 

Not quite, Ward.  You might want to re-read your Constitution a little bit.  Here is the clause setting forth equal protection under the laws, and please note that it carefully says "person," not "citizen."   Indeed, the entire Constitution is carefully written with "person," specifically to make sure that everyone on its soil is guaranteed the exact same protections. 

nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

------------------

"any person within its jurisdiction"   makes no distinction as to how someone got there.  Once you are within the jurisdiction of a State of the USA, you are guaranteed the equal protection of the laws.  Same as anybody else.  Same as persons holding citizenship certificates.   Makes no difference.   'Nuff said. 

Edited April 12, 2020 by Jan van Eck
typing error

[Jan van Eck + 7,558]

30 minutes ago, Eyes Wide Open said:

making the statement that he has made in his position of authority bodes very badly for the institutions of this country. 

Your comment is most prescient.

I shudder for America when lunatics like Barr come to positions of great authority. 

[Ward Smith + 6,615]

13 minutes ago, Jan van Eck said:

nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

14th Amendment

Quote

All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside. No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

Your selective reading comprehension is noted. I'm well aware what the activists' interpretation likewise was. Diluting the actual value of citizenship to a meaningless footnote. My ancestors were the ones who fought and died for my liberty and yours in WWII when your country was itself a mere footnote for the Germans. 

[Jan van Eck + 7,558]

4 minutes ago, Ward Smith said:

My ancestors were the ones who fought and died for my liberty and yours in WWII

Actually, they did not (fight for my liberty),  but that's OK, and for the record nobody is about to diminish the exceptional heroism of the American soldier in WWII. 

Edited April 12, 2020 by Jan van Eck

[ronwagn + 6,290]

10 hours ago, Jan van Eck said:

This is the webcam from the North Tower of one of the busiest airports in the USA - Altanta, Georgia, home of Delta Air Lines.  Enjoy watching the grass grow:

https://www.webcamtaxi.com/en/usa/georgia/hartsfield-jackson-atlanta-airport-north-tower.html

I just get the impression that people do not grasp just how much of a hit the USA is taking.  

The entire country has ground to a halt.  Does anyone seriously believe that some guys talking around some table are going to get oil consumption started up, and production sorted out?   I don't think so.  

This is huge, people.  There is not enough money printed - at least not yet - to deal with this.  The USA is in a world of hurt. 

Why the able need to get back to work with PPE and all possible precautions. If need be get sick and get over it. 

 

71. https://truepundit.com/german-study-shows-coronavirus-mortality-rate-of-0-37-five-times-lower-than-widely-reported-numbers/

German study shows coronavirus mortality rate of 0.37%, five times lower than widely reported numbers

[ronwagn + 6,290]

10 hours ago, Jan van Eck said:

This is the webcam from the North Tower of one of the busiest airports in the USA - Altanta, Georgia, home of Delta Air Lines.  Enjoy watching the grass grow:

https://www.webcamtaxi.com/en/usa/georgia/hartsfield-jackson-atlanta-airport-north-tower.html

I just get the impression that people do not grasp just how much of a hit the USA is taking.  

The entire country has ground to a halt.  Does anyone seriously believe that some guys talking around some table are going to get oil consumption started up, and production sorted out?   I don't think so.  

This is huge, people.  There is not enough money printed - at least not yet - to deal with this.  The USA is in a world of hurt. 

Why the able need to get back to work with PPE and all possible precautions. If need be get sick and get over it. 

 

 

 

[Douglas Buckland + 6,308]

4 hours ago, Jan van Eck said:

Because the Constitution says so.  And that is what makes America unique, the concept of "equal protection of  and under the laws."   Now, if you want to scrap that, OK, then at least we know where you stand on the idea of Equal Protection, but if you do that, then you no longer have the USA.  What you have is "something else."  Perhaps, Bolivia?  

And if you are good with that, then fine, you are perfectly entitled to set up some political party with the objective of scrapping the US Constitution.  That is yet another of the great and unique charms of America, everyone is free to advance their own ideas.  You cannot do that anywhere else on the face of the planet, OK maybe you can in Antarctica, or out on the old whaling station on South Georgia Island, but it tends to be limited. If you like a free and dynamic land and country, then yes, "setting foot" on US soil emphatically does entitle the arrivalist to the protections of the United States Constitution.  And, for the record, I say Hurrah! to that!

Specifically, which part of the US Constitution grants equal protection to anyone physically present on US soil?

 

[Dan Warnick + 6,100]

Has anyone else seen this:

'We just can’t feed this many'

April 9, 2020

In perhaps the most sobering reminder yet of the economic fallout caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the San Antonio Food Bank aided about 10,000 households Thursday in a record-setting giveaway at a South Side flea market.

“It was a rough one today,” said Food Bank president and CEO Eric Cooper after the largest single-day distribution in the nonprofit’s 40-year history. “We have never executed on as large of a demand as we are now.”

[Gerry Maddoux + 3,627]

2 hours ago, ronwagn said:

If need be get sick and get over it. 

Ron, this damn thing is not consistent. I have had friends--young and not so young--barely survive the infection. Yes, they have made it through the virus infection, but they're not the same. I don't think we have any idea of the long term effects of this virus. True, we need herd immunity of the majority, but it's going to come at an incredible price: death of a certain percentage still to be determined.

[Dan Warnick + 6,100]

3 hours ago, ronwagn said:

Why the able need to get back to work with PPE and all possible precautions. If need be get sick and get over it. 

 

 

71. https://truepundit.com/german-study-shows-coronavirus-mortality-rate-of-0-37-five-times-lower-than-widely-reported-numbers/

 

 

Okay, Ron.  We get it.  Heh-heh.  Maybe @Tom Kirkman could help clean up that help clean up that help clean up that mess!

[Douglas Buckland + 6,308]

Okay gentlemen, us, the unwashed sheep, get it! The ‘doom & gloom’, naysaying, and alertist media has been drilling it into our heads for at least the past six weeks. We may not be medically trained or economics wizards, but we can understand things at ground level. 
Virus=Bad, Corona Virus=Really Bad. By the same simplistic logic, we can also figure out that if people are staying at home, that no work is being done. If no work is being done, then businesses fail and jobs are lost. If jobs are lost and businesses fail, then the economy is in great danger and the government has no funds to operate.  WE GET IT!

Most of us, whether familiar with the oil industry or not, can come to grips with the fact that if businesses are failing, everyone is staying at home, and nobody is traveling by anything powered by oil-based fuel, then there is obviously going to be less demand for oil and the fuel which it provides. WE GET IT!

However things turn out regarding the Chinese Virus, and then the economy, life as we knew it is likely gone, and a ‘new normal’ will arise. WE GET IT!

It is counter-productive and defeatist to keep harping on issues everyone is already well aware of.

Furthermore, we as a species have gone through similar situations and come out in good enough shape to enjoy what was our pre-COVID19 lifestyles. We prevailed after the Black Plague, the Spanish flu pandemic, two world wars, and the Kardashians. This is NOT the first global catastrophe we’ve survived and came out of grinning.

In America’s relatively short history, we’ve had a few rough times, some, such as the Civil War, the Great Depression, and the Second World War threatened to destroy us, but our unique ‘can do’ attitude, our perseverance, and some very clever leaders, got us through. The British stuck together through the Blitz. The German’s and the Japanese rebuilt after the Second World War (only 75 years ago) to become significant powers on the world stage. Other nations have prevailed against great odds as well.

Is this attitude, optimism and perseverance going to see us through this present calamity? I don’t know, I do not possess a crystal ball. What I do know is that abject pessimism and a defeatist attitude will definitely not help, and will work against us.

Things are rough at the moment, and they are going to get rougher, of that there is no doubt. But if we quit worrying about the global situation, and start taking care of business at home, then we’ll have a much better chance of weathering the storm out.

When I say take care of business at home, I mean exactly that. First, keep yourself healthy as best you can. You can’t take care of your family if you’re dead. Once you have managed this, now take care of your family, as best you can. Then, make a point of getting to know your neighbors (most people don’t even know who lives next door or in the adjacent apartment these days!). Help your neighbor out if you can.

The rest is totally out of our control at the moment. Regardless of the mud slinging and nonsense the media is throwing at us, you have to assume that somewhere there is a rational adult, more knowledgable than we are concerning the specific issues, working through the problems in the ‘big picture’. What is your other option? You can assume everything is in a state of chaos if you choose to, but how does that improve YOUR situation.

Okay, that’s all I wanted to say, so I’ll get off my soapbox.

Stay healthy and take care of one another!

Edited April 12, 2020 by Douglas Buckland
Short term memory loss

[Jan van Eck + 7,558]

7 hours ago, ronwagn said:

Why the able need to get back to work with PPE and all possible precautions. If need be get sick and get over it. 

Here is why that does not work, Ron:   If I get sick, I am dead, for me, that virus is a non-survivable infection.  And I anticipate that that would be true for lots and lots of others.  So, unless you are prepared to effectively condemn lots of your fellow residents here in the USA to death from some Chines imported viral matter, this is non-tenable.  (at my age, I am both too old and with too many lung issues to survive it). (Anyone with a history of breast cancer, now common enough for American women, is a likely candidate for death, not so pleasant). 

"Getting sick and getting over it" is not not a great idea.  If you were to take Vermont's current death rate of 5% of infections, and extrapolate that out across America with say a 60% infection rate, then you end up with nine million dead. 

Concededly, there are likely to be some millions dead in any event, once the "second wave" of infections hits.  But  if you can reduce that by say half, then you will have spared 4,500,000 residents from unpleasant death.  I think that is worth the effort. 

To suggest, "Well, those are old people, they would have died anyway," is to my mind rather callous. I am not prepared to go there. 

I think the USA is better off to discontinue its relationships with a people and culture that thinks it is OK to have these "wet markets" where their civilians go to "wet markets" to buy live bats and live pandolins and have them slaughtered right before you, with the blood and the infections spreading around all over the place, because they have this idea that eating meat from domesticated cattle is passe.   Forget about these Chinese,  Buy American. 

[Jan van Eck + 7,558]

3 hours ago, Douglas Buckland said:

However things turn out regarding the Chinese Virus, and then the economy, life as we knew it is likely gone, and a ‘new normal’ will arise. WE GET IT!

Unfortunately, that "new normal" has the earmarks of being rather unpleasant. 

You may anticipate that the income and wealth distributions will be even more skewed than they are today, with what is effectively a new landowner class, and a new serf class, arising, a remake of the old feudalism structure of medieval Europe.  I also anticipate that the serf or peasant class will become violent and do murders of the landed class, as you had with (for example) Braveheart.   Or in the streets of medieval Italy, where men with knives would attack the rich; they became known as the assassins. 

To see how this develops, you might want to review the (very recent) developments in South Africa.   Street assassins abound.  the gentry live behind walls, razor wire, and gun ports, and travel in armored limos and carry guns.  the idea of taking your dog out for a pleasant walk - well, nobody does that any more.  You would get murdered. 

America's rich think they can live in these gated communities and be safe.  I have news for them: won't work. 

[Douglas Buckland + 6,308]

Origin of the term ‘assassin’: 

https://www.google.com.my/amp/s/www.warhistoryonline.com/war-articles/original-assassins-history.html/amp

Nothing to do with medieval Italy...
 

Great Jan, more doom and gloom. Perhaps we should all just suck on the stem end of a .38, pull the trigger, and get it over with now and avoid the rush!

[Dan Warnick + 6,100]

19 minutes ago, Jan van Eck said:

Unfortunately, that "new normal" has the earmarks of being rather unpleasant. 

You may anticipate that the income and wealth distributions will be even more skewed than they are today, with what is effectively a new landowner class, and a new serf class, arising, a remake of the old feudalism structure of medieval Europe.  I also anticipate that the serf or peasant class will become violent and do murders of the landed class, as you had with (for example) Braveheart.   Or in the streets of medieval Italy, where men with knives would attack the rich; they became known as the assassins. 

To see how this develops, you might want to review the (very recent) developments in South Africa.   Street assassins abound.  the gentry live behind walls, razor wire, and gun ports, and travel in armored limos and carry guns.  the idea of taking your dog out for a pleasant walk - well, nobody does that any more.  You would get murdered. 

America's rich think they can live in these gated communities and be safe.  I have news for them: won't work. 

Take that, @Douglas Buckland!!

[Dan Warnick + 6,100]

Just now, Douglas Buckland said:

Origin of the term ‘assassin’: 

https://www.google.com.my/amp/s/www.warhistoryonline.com/war-articles/original-assassins-history.html/amp

Nothing to do with medieval Italy...
 

Great Jan, more doom and gloom. Perhaps we should all just suck on the stem end of a .38, pull the trigger, and get it over with now and avoid the rush!

Who can afford a .38?  Times are tough, Douglas!  Get it?  😁

[Dan Warnick + 6,100]

Pandemic?  Nay, Panicdemic!

[Jan van Eck + 7,558]

1 hour ago, Douglas Buckland said:

Great Jan, more doom and gloom. Perhaps we should all just suck on the stem end of a .38, pull the trigger, and get it over with now and avoid the rush!

Getting past your rather dramatic hyperbole, I would respond by pointing out that it does not have to end up that way  (although I suspect that in some locations, especially around the East Coast cities, it will).  For example,  I anticipate that my State will profit from some one billion dollars in new revenues from my own plants once this virus mess subsides.  They can do a lot with a spare billion.   OK, Washington can piss that away in about three nanoseconds, but a poor rural State actually needs that cash.  To illustrate, their sales tax revenues will drop off by about $200 million this year, and there is no fix on the horizon to plug that hole.  In a State where some 40% of the population works for some level of govt, and big revenues come from sales to and taxes on tourists, that drop is a big problem. 

Further, the workforce really needs the expertise and accumulated wisdom of the older managerial class  (guys like me).  What I bring to the table is the ability to start up new business, new factories, new service industries. That holds the promise of decent-paying jobs for both the newly unemployed and the next generation of the workforce.  I hope to hire 5,000 men before I finally die off, which I will, of course, that part is inevitable.  Unless you are prepared to have society go back to the pioneer days of subsistence agriculture, best to keep the old guys alive a bit longer.  Tossing them into the mass grave pit of COVID-19 dead is not really a great solution.  Especially if you are the one getting the toss. 

Edited April 12, 2020 by Jan van Eck
typing error

[Douglas Buckland + 6,308]

17 minutes ago, Dan Warnick said:

Who can afford a .38?  Times are tough, Douglas!  Get it?  😁

From...

I was born in ‘38, when times were hard.

A .38 Special and a marked deck of cards.

A T-model Ford, and a derby hat.

And I didn’t pay for any of that!

???

[Dan Warnick + 6,100]

20 minutes ago, Douglas Buckland said:

From...

I was born in ‘38, when times were hard.

A .38 Special and a marked deck of cards.

A T-model Ford, and a derby hat.

And I didn’t pay for any of that!

???

Now that's a picture!

[Jan van Eck + 7,558]

16 hours ago, Gerry Maddoux said:

We will unfortunately skip right over recession and go into a depression. We may be there already. 

Unfortunately, we are already in a major Depression  (while intended to be meant as an economic depression, it is also true that we are in a major collective psychological depression). 

The real challenge is:   who will lead us, on both the Town, and the State, and the national levels, out of the Depression? 

The last US Depression started around 1930 and lasted until US entry into the Second World War, where governments went into deficit spending to build war materiel.  This time around,  Mr. Trump is making some noises about new govt spending, and is distributing fiat money in large dollops to individuals in an effort to compensate for vast losses of earning power.   Will it work?  Or will it trigger the two dastardly twins:  asset deflation and monetary inflation? 

Today is Easter, the day Christians celebrate as the day that Jesus rose from the dead.  In Christian America, the people look to their religious leadership, for inspiration from the pulpit.  Except this year, assemblies in church are actually banned  (amazing but true). The religious leadership will try to speak to the people by video cameras.  Will that work?  Probably not.   

 

[Douglas Buckland + 6,308]

 “Tossing them into the mass grave pit of DOVID-19 dead is not really a great solution.”

Dramatic hyperbole...😖