Da Techguy's (no longer backup) Blog

It is in the best traditions of the American Experiment that two sides holding opposing views that can’t be easily reconciled find a compromise that will accommodate them both. I believe I have found one on the whole: “Defund the police” thing.

An apparently large amount of the activist left community continues to demand that the police be defund while a large amount of the population seem to think that doing so leaves them vunerable to violent crime so in an age where cell phones are ubiquitous and data is easily gathered those who wish to defund the police be allowed to one they sign the following pledge:

I, the undersigned no longer wish the police to be funded nor wish my tax dollars to be spent in said funding. In return for this I on behalf of me and my family formally renounce police protection and any call for assistance to protect me, my family or my property shall be ignored by police in this or any other jurisdiction and said police and/or jurisdiction that they represent shall not be held liable for any inaction on their part in any emergency involving myself, my family or property. This pledge does not preclude police from responding to any call where they have cause to believe me or mine are suspected of criminal behavior.

In most ages this would be impractical but in an age where people have cell phones that track them and police have access to data bases of data it would take seconds to determine if a call for help comes from a person who has signed such a pledge it can be safely ignored. This will allow a shrinkage of the police force which will please those who sign and submit their information and I suspect will please both those who oppose this position who don’t want their resources spent on them and the police who would be loath to protect such people.

In fact as part of the deal their houses and cars should have signs and stickers upon them advertising:

This property is a police free zone

It’ would be the ultimate in virtue signaling and I’m sure there will be many people who will see such a sign with approval, particuarly those who don’t like the police to begin with.

It will be especially fun to see woke corporations agonize over signing on or not.

“When pressed, none of the bishops I queried could report a single diocesan seminarian inspired to pursue priestly life by the current Pope. None took any pleasure in acknowledging this.”

Francis X. Maier in a research study done on

The 2nd quote from Fr. Peter M.J. Stravinskas who links Maier commenting on this quote isn’t much happier.

Again, this parallels my own experience from lectures and retreats I have given to numerous seminarians. In fact, in my spiritual direction of seminarians, I have also had the unenviable task of trying to convince them (and young priests as well) not to give up on the priesthood, so dispirited are many by Francis.

As Usual Fr. Z puts this is perspective:

Popes come and go.  There have been good Popes and bad Popes, important Popes and forgettable Popes.  Men pick them, not the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit’s role in their election is to make sure that the Pope isn’t a total disaster for the Church.  Some disaster, maybe.  Total disaster, never.  Moreover, generations of faithful Catholics lived and died without even knowing the Pope’s name.   In a lot of ways, in daily life, they just aren’t that important.

Pray for him.

Massachusetts Democratic Senator Ed Markey and three House Democrats announced their plan to expand the Supreme Court from 9 to 13 Justices this week. They were careful to couch their bald power grab in media-friendly terms, sputtering their concern for the “Court’s legitimacy” and insisting they were not packing the Court, they were “unpacking” it. Orwell had today’s Democrats in mind when he wrote “Nineteen Eighty-Four.” Hardly a day goes by where they aren’t caught trying to change the very definition of words to suit their political needs.

The plan, notwithstanding media hype, is DOA. Even House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she had “no plans” to bring it to a vote. Associate Justice Breyer, one of the stalwart liberals on the Court, warned against expanding the Court as well. And with the late revered-by-progressives Justice Ruth Ginsberg – whose opinion, you might think, would matter to leftists on Court matters, of all things – on the record as against the idea, there’s little pressure on Senators Joe Manchin or Kyrsten Sinema to fall in line. The Democrats don’t have the votes.

Which isn’t the point anyway. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer didn’t expect to win votes with the charisma-deficient Markey leading the charge. Instead, the whole announcement was about something else entirely.

Like everything else the Democrats do with respect to the Court, this was all about abortion.

The Democrats are terrified that Republicans might actually have the votes to seriously curtail, if not outright overturn, Planned Parenthood v. Casey (and Roe v. Wade by extension). Which would throw the issue of abortion back to the state legislatures.

So the Democrats are simply attempting to warn the Court what might happen if they do.

Did I mention Markey’s announcement came two weeks after the Supreme Court agreed to hear their first abortion case since Associate Justice Amy Barrett gave conservatives a 6-3 seeming majority?

There was similar noise back in 2012, prior to the Supreme Court’s decision on the constitutionality of Obamacare. And with his decision to uphold President Obamas signature law, Chief Justice Roberts proved to the Left he could be intimidated.

Can Kavanaugh? Gorsuch? Barrett?

We may soon find out.

So now that the election is safely won stolen the media thinks it’s safe to say that the Trump Russia bounty story is BS. At least this time Mitt Romney can take solace in the ends justifying the means in a Democrat big lie.

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The same day that the we discovered that this story was bunk Joy Reid started hinting that Ron DeSantis was involved in Sex Trafficing. Commenting on the story Sarah Hoyt who has really earned her reputation as required reading over the last three month asked these questions:

Do you ever wonder at the stories the left thinks plausible? Pee gate. Sex trafficking.

Do you ever wonder why?

I don’t wonder. I just presume the left’s skill at projection is why they’re so entrenched in the movie business.

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Speaking of projection and falsehood two years after he was driven out of his own company we now know that ‘Papa John’ Schnatter was driven out of the company he founded over a lie.

Again this was one of the previews of coming attractions of the punishment that companies might face for defying the left, which is likely why so many were willing to fund.

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Speaking of defying the left Mike Lindell continues to do so and has now started a site called My Store.

He hopes to compete with Amazon on it. I’m thinking of listing my book there and perhaps the next one (if we ever finish the proofreading that is) to get it some exposure although it will likely put a target on my back.

Lindell has a deep faith in God which provides him with courage and to those who say it’s impossible to compete with Amazon I have three letters and two words for you:

AOL & Internet Explorer

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Finally I notice that Coke & Delta were notably absent from the latest round of meeting of company to unite behind the woke flag deciding at this point to shut up and brew and fly.

Apparently Kurt Schlichter is right about the backlash the dam is breaking and when it does, it will be fast and furious.