They May Be Aiming at You
So-called "non-lethal" weapons are really just "less lethal", and law enforcement terminology now acknowledges that.
Rubber bullets aren't bouncy rubber. They are metal with a rubber coating, intended to be very painful and knock someone down. They can blind you permanently, give you a concussion, damage major organs, cause limb injury requiring amputation, and may cause death.
"Bean bag" bullets do not use the bean bags you're familiar with. Instead of beans or plastic, the bags are filled with metal balls! They are supposed to be aimed low, to hit the legs or feet, but cops usually aim for the torso or head. These will always knock you down, and can cause very severe injuries, leading to permanent disability or death.
Tear gas is deployed in grenades or cannisters that emit the gas as a spray or mist. If you are hit by the cannister, it can cause serious injury or death. The gas itself is extremely irritating to mucous membranes. It causes coughing, difficulty breathing, throat pain, eye pain, and temporary blindness. It may trigger asthma attacks. In some cases, it can cause permanent damage, including death. Tear gas is considered a chemical weapon and is outlawed in international warfare, yet police in the U.S. are allowed to use it on civilians.
All of these weapons are used to injure, maim, and "accidentally" kill unarmed citizens. If you are struck by any of these projectiles, get medical help as soon as possible, even if you think your injury isn't serious. You can have a concussion or internal injuries that aren't immediately obvious.
We need laws that restrict the use of these weapons against unarmed persons, and we need the ability to hold police accountable when these weapons are abused -- such as deliberately aiming for the head, shooting people in the back, firing on children or disabled persons, attacking pregnant women and elderly folks, etc.
This Movie Gives Me Nightmares
Such a ghastly scenario is too gruesome for most horror writers. Even Mary Shelley, the creator of Frankenstein, only envisioned dead bodies being rebuilt with spare parts so that they could be brought back to life.
In recent times, there have been occasional suggestions from researchers or politicians that brain-dead women or women in persistent vegetative states could be used as surrogates, or "fetal containers" for couples using IVF, or for fetuses transferred from women seeking abortions.
Now think about zombies.
Horror movies and TV shows portray zombies as angry dead people who have come to life, or people infected by a bizarre epidemic, who relentlessly attack the living, often with an appetite for brains. But the original zombies were less spectacular. They were dead people reanimated through voodoo, who were used as slaves.
It's happening now. Without consent, and against the family's wishes, a brain-dead woman is being used to incubate a fetus. If this horrifying procedure results in a live birth, there is a good chance the baby will face serious medical problems and disabilities. But that won't stop the mad scientists from trying it again.
What we are seeing is the zombification of women's bodies.
- Suggestion to use brain stem dead women's bodies for surrogate pregnancies sparks huge backlash
- Zombification Process
- Sponsor of Georgia abortion ban spared trauma of watching brain dead loved one carry fetus
Whose Body Is It, Anyway?
Imagine this. A young man falls ill, experiencing some kind of seizure, or perhaps a stroke, that releases blood clots into his brain, ultimately causing his death. His brain is not functioning, and the attending physician has declared him dead. However, because he was connected to life support equipment in the hospital, some parts of his body are still functioning in a machine-like way.
An examination reveals that his testicles are still producing viable sperm cells. A state agency notifies the hospital that the man must not be disconnected from life support, even though the local medical board officially confirms that he is dead. According to a recently-passed state law, destroying or discarding potentially viable gametes is "equivalent to terminating human life" and carries heavy penalties. The hospital is required to maintain the man's body and to retrieve the sperm.
The man was single, and there is no one in his family who wants to use or preserve his sperm. In fact, his family members have refused to give permission for any further medical treatment, and have requested that the life support equipment be removed. State officials suggest that the sperm can be frozen and stored at a sperm bank, although it is unclear who would be responsible for the costs involved. Further, without the man's consent (impossible to get at this point), the sperm cannot be used in a fertilization procedure. State legislators introduce a bill that would make "orphaned or unclaimed gametes" wards of the state, to be donated as directed by state health officials.
In the meantime, the man's dead body continues to be operated by machines, using resources that otherwise would go to living people in critical condition whose lives might be saved.
Sounds crazy, doesn't it? But is it any crazier than artificially maintaining a dead woman's body so she can be used as an incubator?
- Hospital tells family brain-dead Georgia woman must carry fetus to birth
- Georgia woman’s plight reveals anti-abortion forces’ endgame
- Dear America: women’s bodies are not state property
Vanishing Health Care
Around 20% of Americans rely on Medicaid for their health care coverage. Depending on the location, it may be somewhat more or less than that. Medicaid covers 41% of births and about 60% of nursing home patients.
Even if you don't use Medicaid, because you have good insurance or you are able to pay out of pocket, Medicaid affects you. How? The clinic or hospital where you get your treatment depends on those Medicaid payments. If those patients disappear, the facility can't afford to stay in business and continue to provide your care.
This is an even bigger problem if you live in a rural area or an underserved town. There already aren't enough doctors, and if the hospitals and medical practices are forced to close because they lose Medicaid, there will be none. You won't enjoy driving 300 miles to get routine care in a far-off city. and if you have a heart attack, 911 can't send an ambulance that doesn't exist to take you to an emergency room that closed two years ago.
Random Thoughts
Savonarola's execution in the Piazza della Signoria, painting by Filippo Dolciati (1498)
Spiro Agnew was born too soon. He had to take bribes quietly, and eventually it cost him his job. If only he could be a part of today's Republican administration, he'd probably be put in charge of the Treasury.
If I wanted to make a big impression on an 8-year-old, I'd have a huge parade with fancy cars, guys with swords, prancing horses, and marching camels, lots of camels.
Sometimes, all I want from the people around me is to just stop talking.
According to the ACLU, "U.S. citizens do not have to carry proof of citizenship on their person if they are in the United States." Further, federal agents do not have a legal basis to suspect someone of an immigration violation just because of their race or ethnicity (or having an accent, or speaking a language). Even so, in light of current events, it may be a good idea for people of certain demographic groups to have proof of citizenship with them.
There were countries I didn't visit, because they were dangerous for tourists. Now I live in one.
If you just want to use the restroom, and a fascist demands you "prove" your gender, what should you do?
a. tell him "you first"
b. invite him to join you in a stall
c. call 911 and report him for invading the ladies room
d. sing "I Enjoy Being a Girl"
What kind of country has a special police force, with no restrictions on its power, that can arrest and detain anyone, anytime, without explanation?
Flooded
"Flooding the zone." They throw so much stuff at us, we are overwhelmed, unable to prioritize.
What should we deal with first? People kidnapped in broad daylight by masked thugs? Insane policies that make international trade nearly impossible, and cause prices to skyrocket? The end of life--saving medical research? Laws that prevent women from voting? The end of food safety? The destruction of national parks? Deliberate starvation of poor children? A president who openly takes bribes? People imprisoned, without trials, in foreign countries? Our personal data handed over to who-knows-who for who-knows-what purposes? Book-banning? Competent public employees fired, replaced by unqualified sycophants or by nobody? Deliberate erosion of air traffic safety? Lost access to health information? The erasure of historical records? Rising death rates for women and infants? Attempts to make dissent a crime? Arresting public officials for doing their jobs? Threatening judges? Extorting law firms? Representatives of the president blatantly lying to the public about everything? The end of product safety? Reporters afraid to report? Elected officials afraid to speak up? All the other nightmares I haven't listed here?
There is so much, it can have the effect of paralyzing people, because they just don't know what to do first. That's the idea. They want us frozen in place, unable to take action. One reason for flooding the zone is to present us with so much terrible stuff, that even if we do fight back, we won't be able to stop all of it, and many things will get by us.
It's like being attacked simultaneously by army ants, locusts, Hitchcock birds, and zombies. Some of them are going to slip through the cracks.
Tariffs Are An Outdated Concept
The original idea behind imposing tariffs on imports goes something like this:
- People are buying cheap foreign products instead of American products.
- This is bad for American businesses, and for the economy in general.
- If we make foreign goods more expensive, people will stop buying them.
- Adding a tariff (tax) to imports will make those foreign goods so expensive that people will buy American products instead.
Of course, it's never quite that simple. This doesn't take into account the possibility that other countries will put tariffs on American goods, or that there may be reasons why people buy the foreign products even with the tariff. It doesn't take into account that American companies will decide to raise their prices, so their products become just as expensive as the imports. There are many possible complications.
The world today doesn't operate like it did back in the 18th century. Because the economy operates differently now, the old tariff theory just doesn't fit in the modern world.
Many - perhaps most - of those American companies actually use a lot of imported products. Their machinery and tools may come from other countries. They may be importing certain parts or raw materials. When the price of foreign products goes up because of tariffs, it creates higher costs for American businesses. They may be forced out of business because they can't afford to purchase more expensive materials. Or they may go forward, but they have to raise their prices because of the tariffs, and now they can't offer a lower price than the imported products.
Tariff of 1790
Tariff of 1792
Tariff of 1930
Beyond the Peter Principle
In their 1969 book, The Peter Principle, Laurence Peter and Raymond Hull described how people working in organizations tend to rise to a level of incompetence.
A guy who is very good at his job gets promoted. The new job may require some skills that weren't part of his previous job. He may or may not have those skills, but if he is able to master the new position and make a good impression, he is likely to get promoted again. Again, the skills needed for the new position are likely somewhat different. If he is good at that job, he'll get promoted again, If this continues, the guy will be finally promoted into a job that is completely beyond his ability. His incompetence means that he won't be promoted again, so he stays in that position, performing poorly.
According to this theory, hierarchical organizations eventually become filled with, and run by, people who just aren't very good at what they do. The Peter Principle is expressed as: "In a hierarchy, every employee tends to rise to his level of incompetence." Its corollary is: "In time, every post tends to be occupied by an employee who is incompetent to carry out its duties."
These principles are on very public display in our government's current administration, which has carried them to an extreme level in which incompetence does not prevent people from being further promoted, and may even be the reason some people of low ability are placed in positions requiring knowledge, skills, and experience that they lack.
Incompetent people in positions of authority feel threatened by those whose competencies are significantly greater than their own, and will, whenever possible, expell them and replace them with incompetents with whom they feel comfortable
A guy who is very good at his job gets promoted. The new job may require some skills that weren't part of his previous job. He may or may not have those skills, but if he is able to master the new position and make a good impression, he is likely to get promoted again. Again, the skills needed for the new position are likely somewhat different. If he is good at that job, he'll get promoted again, If this continues, the guy will be finally promoted into a job that is completely beyond his ability. His incompetence means that he won't be promoted again, so he stays in that position, performing poorly.
According to this theory, hierarchical organizations eventually become filled with, and run by, people who just aren't very good at what they do. The Peter Principle is expressed as: "In a hierarchy, every employee tends to rise to his level of incompetence." Its corollary is: "In time, every post tends to be occupied by an employee who is incompetent to carry out its duties."
These principles are on very public display in our government's current administration, which has carried them to an extreme level in which incompetence does not prevent people from being further promoted, and may even be the reason some people of low ability are placed in positions requiring knowledge, skills, and experience that they lack.
Incompetent people in positions of authority feel threatened by those whose competencies are significantly greater than their own, and will, whenever possible, expell them and replace them with incompetents with whom they feel comfortable
Wounded
This is a summary of my research into "U.S. presidents' injuries and wounds." This includes adulthood injuries before, during, and after the time in office.
- Thomas Jefferson – Dislocated his wrist when he jumped over a fence; it wasn’t set correctly and caused pain the rest of his life.
- James Monroe – Suffered a life-threatening wound in battle during the Revolution; the bullet was never removed. In later life, he injured his wrist falling from a horse.
- Andrew Jackson – Before becoming president, survived bullet wounds when dueling or brawling, experienced lifelong pain.
- Franklin Pierce – During his military service, was injured in battle when his horse tripped and fell on him.
- Abraham Lincoln – Assassinated, shot in the head.
- Rutherford B. Hayes – Shot in the arm during a Civil War battle. Later injured when thrown from a horse.
- James Garfield – Assassinated, shot in the arm and side.
- Grover Cleveland – After a secret operation to remove an oral tumor, he suffered depression and apparent poor health the rest of his life.
- William McKinley - Assassinated, shot in the chest and stomach.
- William Howard Taft – Experienced relatively minor injuries due to several random accidents.
- Theodore Roosevelt – Survived assassination attempt, shot in chest. Seriously injured in a traffic accident that killed his bodyguard.
- Herbert Hoover – Suffer fractured vertebrae in a bathtub accident
- Franklin Roosevelt - was left permanently paralyzed from the waist down after diagnosis of polio.
- Dwight Eisenhower – Suffered a serious knee injury and infection while playing football. Re-injured the knee several times playing various sports.
- John F. Kennedy – Assassinated, shot in the head and neck. Also: Had been wounded while serving in WWII, received Purple Heart.
- Richard Nixon – While campaigning (1960), his knee was slammed by a car door, causing serious injury and infection, leading to chronic deep vein thromboses.
- Gerald Ford – Injured when an elevator door malfunctioned. Tripped and fell several times, extent of injuries (possible bruises or scrapes) unknown.
- Jimmy Carter – In his 90s, needed a hip replacement after a fall, then suffered a cut and black eye from a second fall, and a pelvic fracture from a third fall.
- Ronald Reagan – Survived assassination attempt, shot in the chest.
- George H.W. Bush – Prior to becoming president, was injured in WWII when he had to parachute out of his airplane.
- Bill Clinton – Serious knee injury from a fall.
- George W. Bush – After leaving office, suffered a facial cut and bruise when he fell after choking on food.
- Joe Biden – Had a sprained ankle and later a foot fracture, both incurred while playing with his dog. Experienced a couple of minor falls that did not cause injuries.
- donald trump – while campaigning, survived an apparent assassination attempt, claimed to have an injured ear.
Sic Semper Tyrannis - Maybe
This is a summary of my research into "What finally happened to some of history's dictators and tyrants?"
Pol Pot (Cambodia). Sentenced to life in prison. Died of heart failure, age 73. His widow remarried.
Joseph Stalin (Soviet Union). Remained in power, experienced years of poor health, died of cerebral hemorrhage, age 74.
Benito Mussolini (Italy). Trying to sneak out of the country, he was recognized and shot to death, age 62, along with his mistress, age 33. The crowd displayed their bodies, suspended upside-down.
Adolf Hitler (Germany). Defeated in war, he and his wife committed suicide, ages 56 and 33. Their bodies were burned.
Francisco Franco (Spain). Remained in power. After a period of ill health, died of natural causes, age 83.
Idi Amin (Uganda). After several coup attempts and violent conflicts, he fled the country and settled in Saudi Arabia, where the royal family supported him. He died of kidney failure, age 77.
Fidel Castro (Cuba). Facing health problems, he retired. After a period of declining health he died, age 90.
Juan Perón (Argentina). After a violent coup, he spent 18 years in exile, then returned for a 3rd term. Facing much opposition and in failing health, he had a series of heart attacks and finally died, age 78.
Gaius Caesar “Caligula” (Roman Empire). Assassinated in a plot involving the army and the senate, age 28.
Mau Tse Tung (or Mao Zedong) (China). Remained in power, although in poor health. Died after major heart attacks, age 82.
Nicolae Ceausescu (Romania) He and his wife were tried for genocide, found guilty, sentenced to death, and executed by firing squad, aged 71 and 42. The execution was videotaped and televised.
Queen Mary “Bloody Mary” (England). Remained in power. Died of natural causes, age 42.
Maximilien Robespierre (France). The members of the National Convention turned against him and ordered his arrest. He attempted suicide, seriously injuring his jaw with a pistol shot. He was executed by guillotine to the cheers of the crowd, age 36.
Muammar Gaddafi (Libya). After the fall of his government, he was on the run with a small group of loyalists. The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for crimes against humanity. After a NATO bombing attack on his convoy, he was captured by a militia and died violently, age 68.
Saddam Hussein (Iraq). His government fell after a U.S. military invasion. After hiding for several months, he was captured, tried for crimes against humanity, and found guilty. He was executed by hanging, age 69.
Ferdinand Marcos (Philippines). Ousted by a revolution or coup, he fled to Hawaii with millions in cash and jewelry. He died of natural causes, age 72. His widow returned to the Philippines and remained influential in politics.
Augusto Pinochet (Chile). Voted out, he moved to the U.K. He was arrested on charges that included genocide and terrorism, but was released on medical grounds. He returned to Chile and was granted immunity from prosecution, plus financial support. He lost his immunity and was indicted for many crimes and placed under house arrest, but was never tried. He died of natural causes, age 91
Kim Jong Il (North Korea). Remained in power. Died (probably natural causes) age 71.
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