The U.S. military is not a credible fighting force… It’s just a jobs program

Agreed. But I will add the following aspect to the “jobs program”: When a military vet who had a specialty in the trades gets out and transfers that skill to the civilian sector, you are very lucky if you have that veteran handling a project for you. This was my experience here in California, where non-veteran workers in the trades are often not conscientious or competent or honest or polite. My pool-equipment mechanic had been a senior mechanic on an aircraft carrier. He treats a job on my modest pool equipment as if he were fixing something on an aircraft carrier and 5000 people depended on him. Watching him work, and interacting with him, for a moment I thought I had taken a time machine back to 1960.

https://stantgsm.com/post-image/88953

The best way to compare the sea power of different navies might well be by aggregate displacement and not the number of hulls. By this measure, the US has more than twice the sea power of the Chinese. What this means is that if the Chinese are hesitant about the escalatory risks of obliterating aircraft carriers, and the sea war is thus a prolonged exercise in what chess players call “quiet moves,” the US has a heckuva advantage in bench strength.

The “biological imperative” basically means that the human brain is wired to do – – consciously or unconsciously – – that which improves opportunities for reproduction. During the late 60’s, I observed this in action when I was a student at an “elite” New England University – – yes, the very heart of liberal insanity, as to both time and place. Students who protested were largely motivated by the prospect of forming a relationship at the actual event, or, later boasting: Yes, I was there. Thus, in plain English, shlepping to New Hampshire to campaign for Eugene McCarthy was about getting laid. The above explains, in many cases, the apparent insanity.
Disclosure: Yes, I still carry a grudge.

I was the potwasher for four years at my university. Six shifts a week. This paid for my board. I tried to find an image of a comparably large, deep, greasy, forboding pot sink loaded with pots and pans and trays, but none exists. I waned to put a face on what pursuing an alternate method looked like. I could have used that potsink time to study, to socialize, – – get more out of college. So pardon me if I sound callous about forgiving the debts of those who were not up to their elbows in the pot sink.

“The important thing now judge is for you and me to stay alive, because we’re not taking a very popular position right now.”
– Col. Macgregor’s closing remark in his interview with Judge Napolitano

Sobering, coming from Macgregor.
When the Democrats were in control, I used to worry that this website might be shut down. Then, when Trump was elected, I breathed a sigh of relief in that regard. But now, I un-breathe my sigh of relief.

When I first saw that image of the captured Maduro, I figured that many popart and abstract-expressionism images online would feature a man in dark sunglasses and massive headphones…and sure enough, there they were. So whoever devised Cloaked Maduro, let’s give artistic credit where credit is due.

Mark G., sorry but I don’t see how a return to the old society is possible. I am of the “point of no return” school of thought. Maybe that’s because I am ancient, lived through it, grew up in it, and know first-hand how incredibly sweet a time it was.

https://i.insider.com/5cfec69eb7640115c642d269?width=1100&format=jpeg&auto=webp

Aside from the issue of whether the acoustic foam must be fireproof is the issue of whether a sparkler even needs to be pyrotechnic. For use at sea, the conversion is well underway from pyrotechnic flares to electronic flares. The USCG will finalize its own e- flare endorsement this April. The advantages of e-flares at sea are too numerous to detail here. For use in a nightclub, the most relevant advantages are that e-flares are much safer to handle, and, cannot start a fire. (and, are reusesble) For nightclub use, I would envision an e-sparkler that is smaller and cheaper than the ones used at sea. My boom box has a light-show button that you push and it commences a really cool multicolor, electronic lightshow.

Unarmed students”? Not by a longshot. They were armed with rocks and bricks and were assaulting the National Guard soldiers when they responded.

Thanks. Similarly, during Hurricane Katrina, U.S. Coast Guard rescuers were often punched in the face by the victims they were rescuing. It is important to understand, and to remember, the mindset of students who would throw bricks at their National Guard protectors, or punch their Coast Guard rescuer in the face.

“When they get power” implies legislative seats, judgeships, and the like. But it is important to note that one or two black children in an otherwise white high-school class is sufficient to disrupt the learning environment of all the other students. Two illiterate, inarticulate nobodies. Now that’s power.

I am ancient and I grew up on Long Island. The original Levittown house was 750 square feet. This included an unfinished attic, which could be converted into extra living spaces when finances allowed. Basic appliances came with the house. Women were quite happy with this. (Unless you were Sleepy Jean, a homecoming queen; an outlier situation so extraordinary that it inspired a megahit song.) These days, most women would dump the guy if he suggested this. They would move-on, hoping to find a guy with more square feet; walk-in-closet syndrome.

Gene Hackman has a scene in one of his films in which he is mature, and a young woman likes him, and throws herself at him. He declines. Another character asks Hackman, How do you resist her? Hackman replies: Before we could have a conversation about anything, I would have to fill her in on it first. Sounds exactly right. I just don’t understand the logic or appeal of the non-Hackman approach. It is clearly boring, risky, criminal, and time-consuming. There are so many other ways these guys could proceed that would basically scratch their itch. I just don’t get it. I guess I would make a bad shrink.

In his seminal analysis titled “Full Spectrum Dominance” (2009), F. William Engdahl traced the history of the paradigm from its earliest roots, and then, through its most expansive years, during the GW Bush administration, under pretext of the GWOT. The account reaches back to the Nixon and Ford administrations

One will never truly understand the nature of “the paradigm” by relying upon military historians and foreign-policy political analysts. The trunk and taproot of the so-called paradigm is American aggressive hyper-masculinity. (which I guess the author would call AAHM). Novelists and social psychologists have done a better job of exploring the nature of, and roots of, AAHM. For example, take Norman Mailer’s 1967 novel, Why Are We In Vietnam. If you are not familiar with this novel, please note that Vietnam is not even mentioned until the next-to-the-last page. The novel is about a hunting trip to Alaska in which they protagonist’s father forces his son into accompanying him using advanced military weaponry to hunt-down a grizzly bear in Alaska. Or, consider Joan Didion’s analysis of how Americans embrace what she calls “the con style” (i.e., the style of the convict ). In the 1950’s, there were two dozen cowboy shows on tv every week; fully half a dozen of which focused on Wyatt Earp. Military historians? They are but bit players in understanding “the paradigm,” I believe.

A few comments mentioned the issue of females with unshaved legs or armpits. A psych study found that, during the courtship stage, if three “negative impressions” manifest themselves, then she is toast as a prospect. (contrariwise, if three negative impressions do NOT manifest themselves, then, at an average of 172 days duration of relationship, the decision is made that, Yes, she is “the one.”) I am old and think in a retro, vintage way, so what do I know, but I’ll tell you, back in the day, if I had encountered armpits and legs unshaved, that would have constituted two “negative impressions” right there…and surely I would have found a third. For some reason, my memory wiring can recall significant “negative impressions” that occurred back in the day.

USCG Rescue Swimmer graduating class, 2022
A few last bastions are left.

https://images02.military.com/sites/default/files/styles/full/public/2022-09/mil-coast-guard-rescue-swimmers-graduation-1200.jpg?itok=gfHJ3IEN

Many kids will act more insufferably, more impolitely, toward their parents, thinking (probably unconsciously) “It’s not like I stabbed them.”

Parents in that situation should try to look on the bright side. Maybe a gesture of goodwill during Christmas, like a note appended to a gift reading “Thank you for not stabbing me” would allow for some warmth and good humor.

Also could work for couples as well:

Nick Reiner’s stabbing of his parents has led to many op-eds dealing with extreme negative actions suffered by and engaged in by privileged children of famous people. But my theory is that the Reiner stabbings have much greater non-extreme effects that trickle down to, well, regular, non-famous children. Many kids will act more insufferably, more impolitely, toward their parents, thinking (probably unconsciously) “It’s not like I stabbed them.” Yes, a Moynahanesque redefining of what is normal, what is tolerable.

after I graduated

Sorry Ron, but I stopped reading right there. Almost, I dare say, everyone here, knows that the student does not graduate the educational institution; rather, the institution does it to him. If you can’t bear to say “was graduated” for fear of sounding too priggish, then simply write “after graduation.” There are many instances in English in which a solecism has taken hold, and people surrender to it. But people who choose a better route simply “write their way around it” so as to avoid the options of arguably sounding too fussy, or committing a grammatical error. (I’m okay now. Will resume reading.)

the scandal, in which dozens of members of the state’s Somali community have already been indicted

In essays like these, I always seem to be reading the word. “charged” or “indicted.” It seems like I never see that specific person X has been sentenced to, or copped a plea to, the significant prison term of Y years. And is now incarcerated at Z prison. This goes for defendants who are Muslim, Hispanic, or black.

First, thank you, Mr. Kersey, for putting this fine post together. I happen to be the type that sees these things coming. I mean, you know that people have kids (note the year 2000 there – before that census, any offspring were not yet born or uncounted babies). I read about this sort of thing 20 years ago, not just the Somalians in Minnesota and Maine, but these people here, these ones there, with the “help” of the HIAS, the Lutherans, the “Catholic” Charities, etc…

How could one NOT see this coming? What our Female in the Sunshine State wrote is a good part of the explanation.

That said, I want to thank the CIS (Center for Immigation Studies) for not only using “Native” also but flesh color in the legend too! That’s but a small step, but it heartens my lily-White flesh colored ass.

Yours is a very smart comment. Thank you. I am sorry that you have to live with that now, but I also realize that we all will have to eventually. All my life, California has been the trendsetter, the place where things happened first. I remember when that was a good thing, when Californians were proud of it. Not so much anymore!

The Japanese had one major chance to materially influence the war: they could have conceivably swept the British from the Indian Ocean. ….would have created a situation where total victory appeared a long way off for the US – Roosevelt could easily have lost re-election in 1944.

Perhaps that’s true; I don’t know enough about it. But I can add to “one major chance” – – and it occurred right there at or near Pearl Harbor. As Spruance put it, as long as the Japanese did not launch a second wave to take-out the tank farms (=oil storage), the submarine base, and the machine shops, “they had not finished the job.”

The FBI and media insertion into Rich and Kirk are small beer compared with TWA Flight 800. Ron Unz’s superb essay on Flight 800 might well be his most illustrative work in terms of showing the depth, breadth, and brazenness of governmental and media cover-ups.

Agree.
100%.

I didn’t know anything about TWA Flight 800, but I’ve just read the essay. It’s a good illustration. With the right combination of authority + media + repetition + threats/incentives most people will believe anything. It just shows the total importance of honest government.

https://www.unz.com/runz/american-pravda-the-destruction-of-twa-flight-800/

The FBI and media insertion into Rich and Kirk are small beer compared with TWA Flight 800. Ron Unz’s superb essay on Flight 800 might well be his most illustrative work in terms of showing the depth, breadth, and brazenness of governmental and media cover-ups. I recommend reading it if you never have, or even if it has been a while. An excerpt of Ron Unz’s essay is below,

“Gehrig was great, of course. But when Gehrig was at bat, somehow it wasn’t the same as when DiMaggio came to the plate.” – Carl Hubbell

The Washington Post editorial board has published the exact same argument as the NYT editorial board.

The War Street Journal is the chairman of the board on the pro-military issue. But the interesting thing is that the WSJ editorial board is conservative on every other issue.

When you allow millions of people from low-trust societies into a high-trust society, you end up having to create (fifty years on, after a lot of fraud) low trust institutions.

My California (stuck here) is the proof of what “fifty years on” looks like. I have personally seen the 50 years. The War Street Journal is constantly editorializing that the California unraveling is due to one-party progressive rule. Certainly, to some extent this is true. But the unraveling is overwhelmingly due to demographics. And, to the surrender, by many traditional Americans, to “good enough.” Shrinks call it “mirroring.” A preview for the rest of the country.

Maybe a psychodynamic mechanism exists in some people whereby they (consciously or subconsciously) emulate the traits and inclinations of their spouse – – or mistress. Thus, Goebbels, assuming he is of that type, would have been disposed to perform highly dramatic, theatrical actions. It is funny to think that if instead a sexy librarian had won his heart, there would not have been a WWII.

Eisenhower was widely ridiculed for his calm, boring, public persona. Americans have always embraced what Joan Didion called “the con style.” What a great dual-meaning term.

Mrs. SafeNow and I are awed by these sushi!!…..thank you for sharing these with us. Btw, we followed, with fun and success, several of the components of your Thanksgiving menu, which included brining the turkey, which we had never done before. The cleanup was extensive, and I took the opportunity to remind Mrs. SafeNow that she has never touched a dirty pot and never will. I’m pretty sure that when I first met her parents, I got some laughs telling them that, with me, once the potwasher at the college cafeteria, your daughter will never wash a pot in her life. Anyway, watch a few Japan walking tours on Youtube and see if the urge to see it in person persists.

Why? If you are targeting a boat, and blowing it up, presumably killing everyone on board… what difference does it make that they hit it again when there were survivors?

There does seem to be something too Heminwayesque about it. The whole country has gone too Hemingwayesque, if I may extend my adjective and metaphor. Anyway, The Deer Hunter got here first.

Singapore expels US envoy in 1988 for attempted interference in Singapore politics…he was encouraging dissidents to run for political office.

An important comment, thank you. A serious matter. But allow me to approach it from the lighter side, if I may. It has been a while since I rolled-out my Singapore joke. Supposedly this was circulating among foreign-service officers, back in the day. So here goes.

An Indian, an American, and a Singaporean are asked: What is your opinion of the nutritional value of beef?
The Indian replies, What is “beef”?
The American replies, What is “nutritional value”?
The Singaporean replies, What is “an opinion”?

When Milton Friedman was in Scandinavia, a local economist gloated: “We have no poverty in Scandinavia.” Friedman replied: “We have no poverty in The United States, among people of Scandinavian descent.

However, if we are diligent, if we work like demons, we could claw back enough territory to have a nation worthy of the great people that we are.

This is a superb, forthcoming essay, except for one thing. Unfortunately, it is the main thing. Being “diligent” stops short of laying-out what I call a “plan of procedure.” No essayist or commenter ever details a plan of procedure. Understandable. Who wants a “knock-and-talk”? Or worse…much worse. I have made the above comment multiple times. I will close as I always do, by admitting my own cowardice – – and realism – – don’t look at me for a plan of procedure.

For the love of Christ why are you watching television?

Good point, but maybe we should give highly selective tv-watchers the benefit of the doubt. In my case: Turner Classic Movies; 2 1/2 Men reruns and Everybody Loves Raymond reruns; Antiques Roadshow; Retro pop&folk programs; The WSJ Editorial Report weekly. Sports: (in whispered voice)… Limited to golf majors.

Mr. Crowley is not only the first to comment, he is also first to comment to himself,

True. But please give credit where credit is due…I once trolled myself. (But, alas, a reply comment noted that I was hardly the first to do so on Unz…it happens from time to time. So, I deserve small credit.)

young people do not like it that old Boomers have houses they bought years ago before, when house prices were lower

I am ancient now, but I still remember that when I grew up on Long Island, a new Levittown house consisted of 750 square feet. This included an unfinished attic, so that it was feasible to add extra rooms later on. This house, to its buyers, was, to paraphrase Field of Dreams, heaven. Nowadays, try convincing a – – how can I put this gently – – a modern woman – – that a 750 square foot starter house on a pleasant street offers a quite acceptable and even nice life for her.

Somalia is known for its pirates, and they have been making a resurgence during the last few years. Several U.S. universities are offering courses in pirate-related subjects. So, some might believe, (consciously or otherwise), that the pirating sensibility is a recognizable minority trait that deserves a place in our diverse country. But hey, The U.S. already has a place for pirates to practice their trade, and er..craft. In case you missed the news items, native Americans in crime-ridden Oskland have taken-up pirating in the Oakland estuary and its marinas. They commandeer private boats, and if they had a plank, they would probably make the owner walk the plank. Jobs Americans will do. Aargh.

The word Anglin needed is “uxorious.” (Noun form, uxoriousness). He is too automatically opposed to it, and many “word experts” would agree and attach to the trait, by default, a negative connotation. I for one would not go out of my way to evangelize against it; because it depends.

“They already have less rights in those countries”

Add, to “those countries,” the country of California (where I am stuck). California is already two generations into what this looks like. We are a preview; this will metastasize into the rest of the U.S. And, the focus on gang rapes misses the smaller things; the daily-life things.

But you already know the above, so I will move on to “less rights than coyotes.” My white neighbor in this close-in suburb learned that “you can’t shoot a coyote – period.” Not if it is attacking your dog. So he expanded into hypotheticals. Attacking me? Can’t shoot a coyote. My wife? Same answer. Coyote entered my house? Same answer.

our Thanksgiving menu

Nice! 😋

I like Conrad. Many moons ago, I heard a law professor tell a class that if they wanted to learn how to be descriptive, then they should read Conrad.

It’s fun to tell stories from one’s life, and it’s even more fun to try to write them, however briefly, in entertaining ways.

Now, you asked me to give you our Thanksgiving menu, and now I have it. Here it is below the MORE tag:

Below the “More” is a brief excerpt from the beginning of Joseph Conrad’s short story, “The Tale.” A wife asks her husband to tell one of his personal stories. He is amazed (as I would be; but, on a good day, this has actually happened. Very occasionally.) Man, this guy Conrad could write, and if he were alive, Ron Unz would hire him. Tell us a tale.

mass replacement in just about every Western industry

Medicine is not an “industry” but very much deserves a mention. Paraphrasing Mark Twain, the difference between a white doc and an Indian doc is like the difference between lightning and a lightning bug. The teaching hospitals especially chockablock with Indians.

You can make an ethnicity-based choice in most medical specialties, but you can’t control which radiologist or pathologist gets your case, behind the scenes.

As for Chinese-American docs, they are generally highly competent, patient, conscientious, and non-arrogant. Probably you won’t want to socialize with the guy, but he will be superb medically.

it makes more sense to buy it and rent it out

Provided that you rent it out to a Chinese-American, female pharmacist (“CAFP”). Eat the rental-price reduction, so as to grab a highly coveted CAFP tenant. (Or darn close to CAFP.) Otherwise, there is a good chance of encountering all manner of grief. You know my Nimitz quote by now. Wait, you don’t? Okay, happy to oblige. Admiral Nimitz, concluding his report on the tragic WWII “Halsey Hurricane”:

It is foolish to be grudging about safety measures for fear they might turn-out to be unnecessary.

Happy Veterans Day to the best “Branch” – – the military working dogs. Enjoy your retirement with your former handler, in the back yard and on the couch in the living room. Okay, happy day to the human vets as well..it’s not their fault.

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftse1.mm.bing.net%2Fth%2Fid%2FOIP.mJRrkbayKFXzgodFrWKQMQHaE8%3Fcb%3Ducfimg2%26pid%3DApi%26ucfimg%3D1&f=1&ipt=a0941cdb6f0b607b07d125a91018ee49529bebf5df83da467293e96de85d8196&ipo=images

The U.S. Coast Guard now has Fast Response Cutters permanently “home ported” in Bahrain. How can Bahrain be coast “home”? How is The Middle East now part of The U.S. coast? One can argue I suppose that other branches need to be far flung, although it’s a stretch. But The USCG?

Several comments noted how inviolate a child’s right to monetary support is, and in fact, the monetary part is probably only the tip of a regrettably inviolate iceberg. This reminds me of a line from Charlie Sheen in the superbly written “2 1/2 Men” tv series: “The ten seconds it takes to put on a condom is easier than spending ten years pretending to like soccer.”

The USA, which was a White Christian country as it was created to be, exists in name only. It has been defeated and conquered from within. You cannot change that by electing the right politicians or through the political system at all. Our most important function today is now the safety and protection of Israel and to serve as a massive social engineering experiment whereby all decency and morality is replaced by degeneracy and evil.

You’re on a planet of 7-8 billion ballooning wogs now. Whites (Germanic-Celtic-Slavic) are probably somewhere around 500 million or less & declining. You don’t need to be Nostradamus to see how this is going to end.

A few years ago an Unz thread commented on: If there was in fact a turning point, what was it? The hands-down vote was the assassination of JFK. That gave us Johnson, the great society, and the mass invasion at the border. And Vietnam. And thus the entire unraveling. I agree that the above was the turning point. I am ancient and so actually lived through and watched all this. Finally, it was my own stupid generation that allowed this to continue, after Johnson started it. Maybe it could have been stopped.

I for one would enjoy reading more personal anecdotes that have nothing to do with politics or the culture. The comments here dealing with politics or the culture are generally superb. I really enjoy reading these. But I am thinking of the kind of story one might share at a pub. Probably your wife has heard your story many times, and has no desire to hear it again. But the rest of us haven’t heard it. Maybe I am wrong and people would post tales like “Today I ate an orange.” But I think there would not be many of those. Thank you.

Okay, k, here is my report on the gravlax:

Finished curing it today. Stopped three hours early, thinking about your advice.

It is a success. My wife and I both like it.

This wild-caught, Alaskan chinook salmon came out very buttery and soft. The flavor was good, and not at all too salty or sweet. It is just very good, and it sliced well.

I should add that I think the variety of salmon matters very much.

Sliced and served according to your recipe, it was very enjoyable on thin-sliced pumpernickel with the sauce drizzled on top.
The sauce is, to me, an essential part of the recipe. My wife, on the other hand, is content to enjoy the fish like sashimi. I like your recipe in its entirety, on thin-sliced pumpernickel with that wonderful sauce drizzled on top.

My wife wants now to try other gravlax recipes. She informs me that she has known about gravlax, while I just became aware of it thanks to you. I feel great because I am at least 1/8 Norwegian-Swedish. You have introduced me to something that my own ancestors must have enjoyed.

Thank you, sir.

In 2006, Cheney went quail hunting with an elderly fellow whom Cheney later described as his friend. Cheney shot the “friend.” The “friend” subsequently said they were acquaintances, not friends. Anyway, both were wearing blaze-orange hunting outfits. The victim had left the hunting line when Cheney shot him with multiple pellets. The next day, the hospitalized victim sustained a non-fatal heart attack, due to a birdshot pellet that had become lodged in his heart. Official reports said the distance between the two was 90 feet. Avid quail hunters noted that at 90 feet, it would be impossible for one of these pellets, the size of a ballpoint pen tip, to strike Cheney, unless he was using a special gun or special ammo. Whatever really happened, one thing that seems clear from the above is that both Cheney and the victim shared responsibility for this.

The essay correctly notes that Cheney left a negative legacy. But hopefully he at least left a positive one, in one morbid respect: Maybe some “Hunters” who didn’t/don’t know how to hunt safely got a wakeup call to put their hubris aside; bring along a hunting safety guide. In just about any occupation or hobby you can think of, there is a mentor watching you, and training you, until you have learned the ropes.

Other than from this site, courtesy of Ron Unz, I’ve learned more about The Jews (from Nick Fuentes) than from anyone else

I learned more about the Jews’ patterns of thought and behavior, their philosophy, from reading Philip Roth than from anyone else. For example, in “The Counterlife,” where Maria details and analyzes, to Zukerman, why she was dumping him. With all due respect to Nick Fuentes, he is no Maria. Also, I will note that Philip Roth was balanced; where a Jewish character manifested a laudable trait, Roth would give due credit.

NYC should be turned over to the Arabs for a while. Everyone else’s had a go. If Mamdani’s elected, I’ll wager he may well defy the odds and make the place affordable for ordinary people again. Crime isn’t NYC’s core problem; it’s the economic asymmetry from which it emerges. And if it takes what the Jews are calling a commie to rebalance the place, then so be it. NYC doesn’t need a Zio-Fascist jackboot. NYC needs to bring Times Square, 42nd St, and the Chelsea back!

It will be good. After all, NYC can’t be killed. The city has become greater than its constituent parts. It has an organic nature all of its own. A cunning intelligence. A will to life and power. Space has always belonged to the city. And also time. The city takes care of itself. The city outlives its denizens.

Shel Silverstein also wrote “Sylvia’s Mother.” This reached #5 in The U.S. and spent three weeks at number one in Australia. A zillion songs capture the angst, the pain, of a love lost…but what other song has the pain coming not only from the departing loved one, but also.. her mother! (“Please, Mrs. Avery…I’ve just got to talk with her.” And meanwhile, there’s even that unsympathetic telephone operator, representing not only the unsympathetic forces in the world, but also, the fact that time pressure sometimes forces us to get our act together very quickly. Life is not like, say, when I was passing a note to BettySue in study hall, and had lots of time to compose my note.

Thanks. There is a well-observed little scene in the movie Navy Seals. Charlie Sheen is about to lead his squad of Seals in parachuting to perform a dangerous mission. He concludes his briefing with “Be careful out there.” One of his Seals replies “If I were careful, I’d be in The Coast Guard.” Kudos to Seals. (And kudos to Coasties. Different missions require different kinds of people.)

The comment about medical error caused me to recall the 2016 Hopkins study that attributed 250,000 U.S. deaths annually to medical error. This made it the third-leading cause of death, after heart disease and cancer. And of course, this was just for mortality; a separate issue is morbidity. Ten years later, here we are with “providers”; a quarter of all visits are now with NPs and PAs; I have to think that the Hopkins figure is now even larger. The above suggests it is worth the effort to do the available self-protective things. As Nimitz said, after the tragic “Halsey Hurricane,”: “It is foolish to be grudging about safety measures for fear they might turn-out to have been unnecessary.”

Ohtani denied knowledge of the interpreter’s gambling from the start, but he did say he’d given the interpreter his full trust to access his accounts.

That sounds about right.

All I can say is that Ohtani ain’t Sandy Koufax (my boyhood hero.) People want him to be Babe Ruth, though.

It’s a ball game, man.

Enjoy, because you’ll never know. It’s show biz.

The thing I like about professional sports is not the outcome but the sheer talent and athleticism that I can watch. I like the US Open tennis because I can watch amazing players go on and on. And because it’s nearby and I’ve been there to watch.

I’m just glad that you and Steve were able to watch a game that went on so long! That’s cool!

One of my oldest friends held some weightlifting world records for a while, for his age group. When we became friends in high school, he was a skinny kid from Detroit who played on our tennis team. His doctor advised him to start lifting weights to get stronger and thus improve his tennis game.

Well, my friend got so good at weightlifting that he started doing it competitively. By that time, we were in college together and he looked like the Incredible Hulk.

My recollection of events is that Ohtani knowingly supported gambling by his translator, and then the facts changed once he lawyered-up, and his culpability wound-up being pushed under the rug. This puts a big damper on my enjoyment of his talent. Is my recollection correct? If so, am I nonetheless being too harsh, too unforgiving?…and I should let it go. He will be pitching tonight, and I could please use some advice so that I can get closure on the above issues. Thank you.

Christopher Caldwell, in his 5-years-ago book (Age of Entitlement), in the chapter on debt, asked “What did $20 trillion of debt buy?” (That’s not a typo. Twenty trillion, 5 years ago.). Answering his own question: “Social peace.”

It now seems clear that the American government will incur any amount of debt to preserve “social peace.” It is impossible to “overload the system.”

Gravlax was a staple of the Scandinavian restaurant that we used to have here in my (stuck here ) California. I miss that place. Interesting open-faced sandwiches and platters featuring combinations of food flavors and textures I could not have imagined. A pleasant, quiet, polite place (what Ron Unz might call a “measured” style) owned and run by a nice fellow from, I think, Denmark. Even though it was located in a high-end area, it went out of business. I guess the guy should have opened “burritos de Denmark” and he would have done well.

Trump was wrong when he said there were good people on both sides. There were no good people on the Left.

When historians look back at the trade and tech war between the US and China, they’ll be reminded of the pathetic case of Tonya Harding, an American ice skater who tried to win by hiring someone to break the legs of her competitor.

True; a superb metaphor. And historians might also look back upon how, when Covid first struck, China constructed a gigantic, sprawling, facility of hospital and clinic buildings…in a week! Which is not to imply that China is only good at doing things that must be done quickly. Quite the opposite. When a task is such that it must be performed meticulously and patiently, Chinese people are wired to do just that – – unflinchingly. Examples abound. Thank you, Mr, Unz, for giving this essayist a microphone.

Anglin, in his recent tirade, suggests a federal law making it a crime to employ, or rent to, illegals

This has long been on the books and then some. Punishments are fairly brutal

via Denninger:

https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/8/1324

8 USC 1324 is clear as to the penalties to be imposed on those who harbor, employ or assist illegal immigration and the add-ons in sentencing if you do so and said illegal immigrant turns out to be a violent felon and either injures or kills someone are especially severe. In fact in the latter case the penalty is life in prison for everyone who aided, abetted or harbored such a person. Go read the law for yourself; there is no exception for anyone who knowingly, or with reckless disregard, provided such aiding, abetting or employment — including housing.

animals should to be treated like precious creatures.

Agreed. Thank you. The best comment on a thread filled with great comments. Everyone, please stop what you are doing, and go hug your dog. (Said with respect, cat people and bird people. I guess they would prefer not to be hugged, so just say hello I love you or whatever one does with these friends.)
– With great respect to firemen, who, whenever possible, save the dog or the cat. And the USCG, who always saves the dog.

William James, a century ago, explained the psychology of war in terms of making the individual feel he is living life “on a higher plane.” James added that old, increasingly feeble, leaders are especially vulnerable to this. James also dealt with the social-psych factors – – the unifying force of having a common enemy. Below is a link to an fairly recent article in that august journal, Psychology Today. (I joked about PD, but seriously, many of its PhD-written essays are quite competent.) By the way, I call it The War Street Journal. I agree with their editorial page on almost every issue; how can they be so wrong about this one? I guess because they are a financial newspaper.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/out-the-darkness/201403/the-psychology-war

PNC bank just released a survey they did that found that 67% of people are now living paycheck to paycheck.

Thank you. Perhaps counter-intuitively, this figure holds-up across different education and income levels. This no-savings phenomenon (or “this phenomena,” as highly educated people now say) calls to mind a proposal that was being advocated by psychologically oriented economists years ago. They advocated making savings the default option in a privatized social security scheme. One could opt out of that and say “just send me the money instead” but most people would not bother to do that.

Yours is, I think, a very intelligent comment, Mr. SafeNow.

In particular: “True, I guess – – about the “rate” – – but the absolute number is, and will always be, a mere drop in the bucket.”

Yes, indeed. All of the arrests and deportations are shows — as in showbiz — that are too small to amount to anything. You get that. It makes me wonder what really is going on.

If things continue this way, maybe some people will cheer, but nothing will change.

I like the rest of your comment too. I just doubt that anything like that will ever happen.

BTW, I made sushi rolls today. I do this sometimes. My wife requested it for our Friday, so I drove to our fishmonger in another town, “through woods for twenty minutes,” and I bought sushi-grade, wild-caught Alaska salmon — and frozen”Hamachi,” which is a kind of yellowtail tuna used in sushi.

I prepared everything in the ways I know how to do, and I rolled those wonderful things, and we enjoyed them with wasabi, pickled ginger, avocado, all rolled up inside seaweed nori, dipped in soy sauce.

We are just now discussing what our Thanksgiving menu will be — because YOU have encouraged us to think about it so early!

he is deporting illegals at the highest rate in history

True, I guess – – about the “rate” – – but the absolute number is, and will always be, a mere drop in the bucket. Anglin, in his recent tirade, suggests a federal law making it a crime to employ, or rent to, illegals; having no place to work, and indeed no place to live, they would self-deport in massive numbers. Of course this idea has been kicking around on Unz for a while. What about it, Mr. Trump. At least, if not a crime, impose a harsh fine.

But the practical problem is immense. Such a law, to pass constitutional challenge, would have to require that everybody present a birth certificate or the like. This in turn would lead to a cottage industry in fake birth certificates for invaders. What a mess. An easier way to achieve self-deportation is for ICE to arrest some non-criminals – – mere leafblower people and chicken-pluckers – – and get them sentenced to scary-harsh sentences. Once the word got around, wouldn’t massive numbers self-deport to avert this scary risk?

I think Nick Fuentes wears a toupee. He is quite verbally adroit, but I think I have a reply for him that he hasn’t thought of using whenever he is asked about this. Not because I am that smart, but rather because I am ancient and I lived through what politics tv pundit Sam Donaldson would say when he was asked whether he wears one: “I try to be presentable.”

Thank you for noting the tragic illegal alien Dui deaths in that incident. But as a Californian (stuck here), I will note that every day there occur a multitude of less grievous, but impacting more people, invader traffic offenses. “Ladder in lane” creates a traffic jam that causes a few thousand lost man hours. (The cousin is “mattress in lane.” ) (Should Home Depot dispense bungee cords for free? Is that what it has come to?). Or, the “truck” in front of you launches a rock at your windshield, and to your dismay, you learn that windshields are now “smart” = expensive and not fully insured.

By the way, a few years ago, I heard a traffic reporter lament, in an unguarded moment: “This the fifth ‘ladder in lane” that has occurred in the past hour.”

I’ve had 2 women in my family get breast cancer and fully recover.

That is excellent news; thank you very much for reporting those outcomes. I don’t want to dampen your feeling, but there is this. I have had a very close relative apparently fully recover, but then, nearly two decades later, it has now furiously returned, with widespread metastases and a grim prognosis. My research disclosed a disparity between the gold-standard surveillance that should have occurred, and the surveillance that actually was recommended by the top-tier teaching hospital. Now that it’s too late, the top-tier docs are all over this. Where were they before? My conclusion is that the apparently recovered patient must seek several opinions and apply pressure to receive gold-standard surveillance…long, long, after the apparent and highly probable recovery.

A Teutonic dimwitted dolly,
Rescued orphans from Haiti and Mali.
They stabbed and they burned
Til she started to learn
She instead could have rescued a Collie.

Overlooked in simply referring to “the MSM” is that the pro-Ukraine side has got The War Street Journal fully on its side. I read the newspaper’s editorial page, and watch the weekly Editorial Report.

“Instead could have rescued a Collie.”
Yes, that’s the last line of the limerick I am working on.
But I do have a serious point.

Once the word of this gets around on the TikTokOSphere, aggressive, nasty, hurtful hostility toward parents will get redefined. Teens will up their game, thinking (perhaps subconsciously): “It’s not like I stabbed them.” No, I can’t prove it, and I don’t have time to do the research. But it seems quite possible. Plus, there is the possibility of a pure copycat.

What comes to mind is the famous Camus last sentence: “One must imagine Sisyphus happy.” That meant, of course, Sisyphus was happy not despite his stupid struggle, but rather, because of it. I suppose that’s true now, but an important new factor is that the masses have been brainwashed by the advent of modern media, and so, are delusional. I guess where that leaves us is: “One must imagine Sisyphus asymptomatic” – – a meme I have seen.

Okay! Hey, Safe! I will post our Thanksgiving menu early for you and Mrs. SafeNow. I am honored!

BTW, yesterday, we cooked lamb with squash and carrots in our biggest iron skillet. It was my wife’s idea. She put Middle Eastern and Indian kinds of spices in it, and it was fantastic.

First we cut up the lamb. Then we seared it in that big skillet. Then my wife simmered the whole thing with the vegetables and spices — plus chicken stock for the liquid.

I had leftovers for lunch today!

I will make a point to share our menu with you as soon as we decide what it will be.

All the best to you and Mrs. SafeNow.

Hello all, and an early Thanksgiving message to Buzz. Buzz, as I recall, last year you posted your terrific Thanksgiving menu. I enjoyed it …but only vicariously. This year, if you could post it just a bit early, some of us might try to duplicate a dish or two. I know I would…although I was only the potwasher at my college cafeteria, and you were the chef’s assistant at yours…but I would give it a try. Mrs. SafeNow would enjoy our challenge to up our game from same-old. Thank you.

I for one, have no self…. What I have instead is a variety of impersonations I can do, and not only of myself—a troupe of players that I have internalized, a permanent company of actors that I can call upon when a self is required, an ever-evolving stock of pieces and parts that forms my repertoire. But I certainly have no self independent of my imposturing, artistic efforts to have one. Nor would I want one. I am a theater and nothing more than a theater.

(From Philip Roth’s “The Counterlife.” Zukerman, who is being dumped by Maria, is trying to explain to her his true pattern of thought. )

Maybe this diagnosis explains Trump’s erratic nature. In other words, maybe he is not actually a narcissist, all wrapped-up in himself, but rather, quite the opposite.

Right. It reminds me of people I’ve known who have been married and divorced three or four times. Ya know, maybe it’s them.

Here is an excerpt from “Ode to a Large Tuna in the Market” by Nobel laureate Pablo Neruda. Some relief and reality can be found in poetry.

Here,
among the market vegetables,
this torpedo
from the ocean
depths,
a missile
that swam,
now
lying in front of me
dead.

Surrounded
by the earth’s green froth
—these lettuces,
bunches of carrots—
…
Catafalqued king
In my own ocean

Why China’s monopolies on batteries will last decades:
Dozens of top schools, zero everywhere else

“. . . Too much winning”

Real-world inputs to college/university ranking…

https://www.bls.gov/k12/teachers/activities/how-do-you-spend-your-time-analyzing-chart.htm

patients and providers

One fourth of all medical visits today entail being seen by a PA or NP, not a doc. This trend is predicted to rise enormously. Thus is the main issue in health care, to me. The difference between an actual physician and one of these providers is like the difference between lightning and a lightning bug. Why does nobody talk about this?

Thank you. PCR frequently laments the appointment of Muslims as ministers and mayors. In a way, poet laureate is worse. After all, poetry teaches us how to think about our inner lives; and our place in the society and culture.