Occupation of Independence

Youngsters haven't seen as many classic TV ads as I have. I am genuinely fond of a couple of them. My all-time favorite was the old boy bringing in his Model T car for a free muffler at Midas Muffler. Likewise they haven't heard as many political slogans, although it is harder to think of ones that I was ever fond of. But one of the better political slogans was the one feminists came up with, circa 1970: "Get Your Laws Off Our Bodies!" It was a good slogan because it brought people over to their side who perhaps didn't like feminists, in general. Do you think the slogan is relevant today, during the virus panic? I think it is. It might need to be improved for accuracy. How much of the lockdown is about "laws" at all? -- as opposed to mere decrees from the Never Elected? Of course, the slogan is unlikely to be used by today's Progressives. After all, the slogan is essentially Libertarian, whereas the modern Progressive is firmly in the authoritarian

After presidential elections a remarkable map of the USA shows up here and there: a map of blue counties and red counties. The map is impressive! It seems like 90% of America is red, on a square mile basis (especially if you ignore a couple indian reservations or the southern border). But those blue counties have enormous populations. Doesn't this suggest a way to stifle the virus, achieve political comity, and throttle-up the economy? I propose keeping the blue counties in lockdown -- permanently, if they want. That should have a real medical benefit: dense populations are breeding grounds for pestilence and disease. In contrast, the red counties can start to loosen up, faster. It should create an era of good feelings, too. Blue counties seem to favor lockdown -- on EVERYBODY. Let them stop being so generous, and keep the lockdown for themselves. They could think of it as "enlightened self-interest." Then they could get rid of their HOV (high occupancy vehicle) lanes on

Real world experience is so important, compared to reading one more book. For instance I have read a lot about the Great War, World War I. But at some point I think, "I don't even feel sorry for you guys. Why didn't you rebel against your leaders, rather than be slaughtered every day?" In fairness, French soldiers did rebel in 1918. They would no longer 'go over the top'  when the officer blew the whistle -- they would no longer participate in suicidal and useless charges. But they held their ground defensively. They weren't deserters. Still, how could the vast majority of citizens and soldiers throw their lives away, based on the commands of leaders who were murderous fools? That is one good thing in experiencing the virus lockdown. I see a nation of sheep, throwing its livelihoods away, based on nothing but propaganda from the boob toob. Actually, we should stop comparing Americans to sheep, and change it to earthworms, instead. The American economy, 20

If only I had pushed in the direction of podcasts and audio books years ago, instead of waiting to discover this world during the lockdown! For years I have complained that reading books was a miserable activity during winter evenings, especially when camping. Even the most hard-core optimist would admit that reading is tedious. I would rather just blurt out that reading is unsociable, glum, and lifeless. It is an unnatural and annoying activity. Furthermore, we sometimes forget how recently the printed word has come to dominate the Oral Tradition. I envy my grandparents' generation for being able to listen to the Golden Age of Radio on a winter evening on their farms. Go back even further than that and you have the world of theatre, live and on stage, where the playwright's words are 80% of the show. My generation caught the end of the (tawdry) newspaper era, but saw the hegemony of movies (aka, eye candy) and television (aka, chewing gum for the eyes.) It would be interesting

There are more important things to worry about right now, but I have always wanted the ultimate shirt for mountain biking in the summer time. The recreational industry has oversold the benefits of texturized polyester, supplex nylon, and polypropylene. The only thing these modern high-tech fabrics are good for is not absorbing water. That is important if you are climbing a 14'er in Colorado and you get caught in a squall or hailstorm. (Well OK, they are durable. But they are unforgivably hot and sweaty.) But I am mountain biking in warm summer weather, with low humidity. The cliche about cotton 'absorbing' sweat or water is irrelevant. So what if the fabric absorbs sweat? It evaporates quickly and cools the fabric. The only problem with thin 100% cotton is durability. Rayon is even cooler than cotton, but weaker yet; especially near the button holes. I have yet to find a long-sleeve rayon shirt, and I don't want flamboyant tropical colors. I am a Southwesterner, not a