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9/11 vs 12/7

Posted: September 11, 2022 by datechguy in Uncategorized

If you want to understand the decline of America consider this simple comparison.

21 years after the attack on Pearl Harbor

  1. West Germany was a fully democratic western state with full human rights allied with the US and housing tens of thousands of US troops
  2. Italy was fully democratic western state with full human rights allied with the US and housing tens of thousands of US troops
  3. Japan was a fully democratic state with a western style government with full human rights allied with the US and housing tens of thousands of US troops
  4. The United States Military was the single most powerful military in the world feared by all others with excellent morale and strong leadership.
  5. Pearl Harbor is a fully functioning US Naval base with full capacity to project power anywhere within it’s range.

21 Years after the attack on 9/11

  1. Afghanistan is a rogue state under the rule of the Taliban with Americans held hostage and hundreds of millions of dollars of American equipment in hand.
  2. Iran is closing than ever to developing nuclear weapons while getting concessions and cash from our government and exercising heavy influence in Iraq.
  3. The United States Military has horrible morale, is unable to recruit to the levels needed power, is dismissing people over vaccine mandates and more concerned with advancing a woke agenda then projecting power
  4. The Twin Towers have not been rebuilt and there are no plans to do so nor the will to do so

There is absolutely no chance that the Americans who turned “a day that will live in infamy” into the greatest power the world would have allowed this to happen and it is to our eternal disgrace that we have let ourselves fall this far.

It’s on us as a nation and it’s a horrible thing to behold.

Five King Chuck (Charles III) Thoughts Under the Fedora

Posted: September 9, 2022 by datechguy in Uncategorized

For the first time in the lifetime of myself and most of humanity, I begin a day without a Queen Elizabeth on the throne of England replaced instead with a King Charles. A few thoughts:

This is not very respectful but the first thought that came into my head and stayed into my head for all of Thursday was a remix of the classic Steve Martin song “King Tut” remade as “King Chuck” with verses like this:

,

King Chuck

First wife was kind of curvy

King Chuck

HIs brothers kind of pervy.

Born inside a palace, never been to Dallas,  King Chuck

King Chuck

King Chuck

Never wore a beardo

Funky Chuck

His son married a weirdo

Ears just like a Donkey, Now he's the head honkey, 70 years he's waitin'  now they say "God Save Him" King Chuck

It’s has to be something to go from punchline to the most prominent King in the world in 24 hours

Elizabeth is a tough act to follow but Charles has several large advantages that she did not

  1. Decades of experience in his royal duties as the longest serving Prince of Wales in History
  2. Decades watching his mother perform her Royal duties at the highest possible level
  3. Rather low expectations
  4. One of the most inept collection of heads of state in the world to be compared to

I mean how tough is it to be a better example than Joe Biden or Vlad Putin?

Of course in the Expectations game he’s almost certainly can’t end up worse than the first King Charles who was beheaded by Cromwell or the 2nd King Charles who had to flee the country after his father execution and ended up with plenty of illegitimate children but no heir.

Ironically his first wife Princess Diana was descended from one of those illegitimate children which means that if either of his sons come to the throne England will once again have a king who is a descendent of all three King Charles.

There is another interesting parallel to history in Charles ascension to the throne. That of course is King Edward VII whose mother Queen Victoria was like Elizabeth II after her, the longest reigning British monarch at the time of her death.

The Edwardian age of course is celebrated in culture as one of the great era in British history, a time of peace and prosperity that came before the first and second world wars led to the dismantling of the British Empire and it’s place in the world.

Given the collapse of western Civilization over the last few decades such an outcome is unlikely but I suspect nobody predicted such a result from King Edward either.

Yesterday Charles completed his first full day as King including a speech to the nation.

Not a bad speech and hit all the right notes. The speech looks even better when you consider that he’s in mourning for his mother.

Of course getting the first thing right is as much of a guarantee as a successful reign as the Bills opening day victory over the defending champion LA Rams means they’re a lock for the Superbowl, but it certainly doesn’t hurt.

Charles is not only Head of State as of yesterday, but is now also the head of the Anglican Church. While both positions are largely ceremonial I expect to see him challenged in all of those positions by those with various agendas.

It will be how he handles those challenges that his reign will be judged and given his age it is very likely that I might live to see his entire reign and be in a position to evaluate it.

It suspect it won’t be boring.

Five “The Queen is Dead” Thoughts Under the Fedora

Posted: September 9, 2022 by datechguy in opinion/news
Tags: , ,

Unless you live under a rock you will know that Queen Elizabeth II died yesterday at the age of 96 as the longest reigning monarch in English History. Here are some thoughts:

My first thought is that it’s kind of weird. I’m nearly 60 and for my entire life Elizabeth has been Queen of England. It will be very odd to think of someone else as the monarch of England. Particularly Charles

My second thought was with the death of Elizabeth II the most famous living World War 2 vet is now…Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI who as Joseph Ratzinger was conscripted into German anti-aircraft corps.

I suppose that might be considered a tiny bit of irony that Benedict outlived her although in fairness he is a year younger. It’s also odd to note that two most famous long lived vets of WW II were both leaders of a Christian Church (Church of England, Roman Catholic).

There are a few bricks being thrown at Elizabeth for being a monarch, for the various grievance people had with the British Empire, one might even gripe about her unwillingness at the head of the Anglican Church to stand up for the faith rather than let it collapse.

But in the end all those complaining about what she did or didn’t do have exactly 0 days experience at being a British Monarch, so I think I’ll give her the benefit of the doubt that she was a better expert on how to do it wisely than any of her critics might be.

Besides this isn’t the time to be throwing rocks even if you think she deserved it.

It will be something to see the pomp and ceremony of the coronation of Charles as King of England. Given the degree of unbelief in the nation, the no longer primarily English nationality of the population, and the general rejection of all the norms of society it will be almost comical to see the Brits try to pretend that all is as it was.

And given the turmoil within the family generated by the new king’s daughter in law her presence at the events from the funeral to the coronation is going to be very…interesting.

Finally I have a nasty feeling that this tweet which was slightly premature is accurate:

British civilization has been dying for decades, it will likely be officially put in the ground with Elizabeth.

At Least the North Koreans Didn’t Have The Choices Californians Had

Posted: September 8, 2022 by datechguy in culture
Tags: , , ,

“First we must cross the river,” Benito was saying.  “Do you believe me now when I tell you that you must not attempt to swim it, or even get wet from it, or must you try that too?”

“What happens if I just dive in?”

“Then you will be as you were in the bottle.  Aware and unable to move.  but it will be very cold, and very uncomfortable, and you will be there for all eternity knowing that you put yourself there.”

Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle Inferno 1976

What was your first thought when you saw this:

and this:

For many their first thought would be California’s new rules mandating electric cars by 2035 and how all said car owners are not able to charge under these rules.

My thought was this picture of North Korea:

And it struck me that the people of North Korea have no choice on who leads them and that to change the situation they are in, they have to risk their lives.

People in California don’t have that out. They have repeatedly voted for and allowed their state to become more and more a third world country. Moreover for decades people have warned them over and over that their policies would have this effect.

They ignored them.

What has happened in North Korea is a tragedy because it was done to the people there. What is happening in California is comedy because they have done it to themselves.

BTW if you want to know how it’s going to end, it will end like this:

Sir Humphrey Appleby: But if you knew they were crooks

Sir Desmond Glasebrook: We didn’t

Sir Humphrey Appleby: But you could have made enquiries..

Sir Desmond Glasebrook: You don’t make enquiries of that sort in the city. They seemed like decent chaps and decent chaps don’t check up on decent chaps to see if they are behaving like decent chaps.

Sir Humphrey Appleby: And ignorance is worth paying 14 million pounds for?

Sir Desmond Glasebrook: Ignorance is safety it’s not a crime to be deceived and it’s not our own money is it? [Turning to the waiter handing the him the check] Oh thank you.

Sir Humphrey Appleby: So What’s going to happen?

Sir Desmond Glasebrook: Well there’s only one answer. The Bank of England must bail out Philips Berrison. No publicity keep it in the family, and that way we get our money back.

Sir Humphrey Appleby: At the taxpayer’s expense.

Sir Desmond Glasebrook: Of course.

Yes Prime Minster A conflict of interest 1987

In the end California will ask the federal government to bail them out. It won’t be this year, it won’t be next year but within the next decade the state will be begging for a federal bailout to save them from the hole they dug for themselves.

Remember you heard it here first.

I’ll give the last word to Christine Pushaw

Closing thought to all those who have fled California over the last decade: If you continue to vote for the left in the state where you fled to, all of these problems will follow you to where you are now.

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