Occupation of Independence

How much you wanna bet that after the virus-panic is over, the CDC (Center for Disease Control) is elevated to a cabinet-level department? It will waste more money than the Department of Homeland Defense, the monstrosity that was born after the panic of 9/11. Five years after the Department of Disease Control is created, it will be working on a labyrinth of regulations about how many chocolate chip cookies you are allowed to eat per month. It will expand its mission into automobile safety -- at least 6 hand sanitizer dispensers will be built into dashboards and the backs of seats. If they aren't used each time you get into "your" car, beepers and alarms will go off, and the car will be locked in the off position. But it would be enjoyable to visualize some beneficial changes to our institutions, brought on by this panic.  From pinterest.com Just think of the improvements possible if we abandon fast-food outlets and Starbucks. Maybe Wall Street will be fundamen

Wouldn't it be a shame to drive my new tow vehicle over the stump in my friend's driveway and rip up the undercarriage. Other friends of hers have done so. The truth is that I have always hated that stump and the mesquite tree that preceded it. Would it really be that hard to get rid of the stump? How should I know? I didn't know the first thing about stumps and chainsaws.  What a disappointment that chainsaw was! Even with a sharpened chain it didn't cut that mesquite stump so much as it just rubbed it, and generated heat.  Don't let the noisy furor of a chainsaw distract you from the wimpiness of the cutting teeth on the chain; it is surprising that they cut at all. I tried a pry bar and it worked a little bit, that is, it was useless in most places, but here and there it was effective. In other places a Milwaukee Sawz-all (reciprocating saw) did some good. My supervisor -- a man who had spent much of his life in Alaska and Montana -- kept warning me to clea

Most people don't know a lot about the spread of diseases, and neither do I. Much needs to be learned. So it would be better to ask skeptical questions in this post, rather than make bold assertions.  It shouldn't surprise anyone to see illogical medical choices made when A is banned, but B isn't. After all, politicians and bureaucrats are making the list of restrictions, not doctors. Whenever something big is gained or lost, politics will intrude and corrupt everything.  1.  Some of these restrictions might have a good effect, long-term. Does it really make sense for a hard-working East Asian family to dream of vacationing in North American national parks, Disney World, or Las Vegas? There are zillions of free pretty pictures on the internet, so why eat the expense of international travel? People will make do with tourist traps that are closer to home, and save themselves a fortune. What is so bad about that? It seems like a positive thing to appreciate the local att

I am pleasantly surprised to see myself getting good at avoiding controversy and contradiction with other people. All it takes is hearing a keyword or two, and I know to steer clear of a certain topic, be it politics, religion, food phobias, global warming, or whether plastic grocery sacks are the most evil thing in universe. And can transgender chickens still lay eggs? (Answer: yes, but only if they are cage-free.) If nothing else works, I will just remain silent. Actually it is strange how emotional people get over their opinions. Surely the thought has occurred to them that "their" opinions come from the school system or the media. For instance if somebody starts going on about their Trump Derangement Syndrome I am tempted to shrug off "their" opinions, and then ask them how many hours per day they watch television. So it isn't as if opinions are some kind of sacred, inviolable property that must be defended at all costs. If anything, it is their emotiona