Now days, I run through my daily news sites fast in the morning, just scanning headlines. I hardly read anything anymore. (These are NOT MSM news sites!) I read all of virtually every post of every Substack writer (Substacker?) I subscribe to, or save for a rainy day. I stay in my small red town in my small red county in my fairly big mostly-red state and try never to go to the capitol city because all the sudden there are unattractive trans people at the state farmers market or Costco who are clearly just waiting for someone to say something. I'm in the South. Mostly we just say, "Bless your heart."
I’m one of your subscribers that said your post kept me awake. And, sadly, that night it did. Not because of the governments are doing, but to whom and how they did it. But, that’s not my normal operating mode. I am truly living my best life. I’ve lived a life of accomplishment, am semi-retired, work because I want to, but only when I want to, and wake up every day joyful, grateful, and eager to see what I can accomplish and who I can bless and be blessed by. I’d trade my government for one the Founding Fathers envisioned, but would never trade my life for another’s.
I truly believe in the concept of “fight your foxhole.” California is not my foxhole. So I “fight” locally - the happy warrior, all the while living my best life.
Thanks for all your posts. I always read your first.
I have a theory that the most insane & extreme political creatures are local: city councils, county councils, school boards, etc.
I live in a suburb of Tacoma which is only 250K at its max, but the mayor and city council are trying hard to be as destructive to humanity as any big city council.
The roads in Tacoma are in dire need of patching, but instead we are spending Brazilians of dollars for a SF type cable car...WTF? You can get around Tacoma in about 10 minutes on a bike.
They outlawed plastic bags.
They made affirmations about climate changes.
They are, of course, a sanctuary city circa 2017ish.
A recent headline asks if the city council should demand a ceasefire in Gaza, pretty sure Netanyahu reads the News Tribune before making tactical/strategic war decisions.
All of it. All of it is hubris. Pride. A bridge collapses isolating the 6th (?) largest port in the US--but let's continue to bring in 5K military aged men from every last shit-hole on the planet and all of our adversaries--becasue why would we worry about our infrastructure?
I'm out to go walk my dogs in our intermittent sun.
The 'sanctuary city' declaration is a wonderful tell. It signals to the rest of us that the city council is inept, ignorant and worst of all, bored. I feel dismay for the perhaps 11 non-leftists still residing in Sacramento, the rest are getting what they voted for.
This type of bureaucratic infestation will fight, nearly to the death, to avoid loss of power and genuine reform. It will use money, deceit, slander, silence, misdirection, subterfuge, and other methods of harm, up to and including physical force, if pushed hard enough.
I try to consider modern parallels. I grew up in and around NYC in the 70s and 80s. Parts of that city looked like Beirut during Lebanon's civil war. The economy was awful. The city was broke. Garbage was piled in the streets. Civil servants were constantly on strike. Crime was everywhere. Yet, somehow, it got turned around. The people said "enough" and elected leaders who promised and delivered change.
This current problem, somehow, seems deeper. It's certainly more widespread.
So Sacramento A) has declared itself a trans sanctuary, and B) is broke?
Maybe someone should calculate exactly how much that senseless, needless, virtual signaling actually cost the broke citizens of Sacramento in terms of man hours, paper, ink, electricity, etc! And just imagine what they might have accomplished if they’d devoted the same amount of time, energy and resources towards fixing a problem that actually existed!
I believe most of what we see on the surface is a distraction from what THEY don’t want us to see under the surface. P. Diddy. NBC yanks chain on Rona. Ship accidentally or purposely hits bridge which is or isn’t a coordinated attack on our critical infrastructure. Rinse and repeat daily.
Certainly get outside, enjoy Gods creation, decompress and try not to take life too seriously.
Also, do everything legally possible to not financially feed the system, prepare your family for the collapse and then positively participate in the rebuild of a functioning society.
I am realizing I can buy an RV/Trailer for cheap, park it near an airport outside of CA, (lost of farmers with large plots of rural land are offering to host for cheap, and visit it from time to time. Might be the temporary sanity-inducing cost-effective solution I am looking for. it is too hard to drive "out of" CA (to sierra N Coast red counties) for a weekend.
Chris, your writing is powerful enough to send some of off the edge from time to time. It's a complement, our insomnia. :)
Anyhow, it also makes me very very spicy-feeling.
I feel as if I'm standing knee-deep in a great flowing river of shite; everywhere I look it's shite, roaring all around me, its wind blowing the trees. Like Niagara-level shite. My meager and humble request is this: some brave men and women to do their $%^# jobs, from Main Street to the ... Congress.
I feel as if I'm wandering the Emyn Muil, to the point where I've turned off Warroom, spend little time on the news, and a lot more time outdoors. I'm in North Idaho so there's lots of opportunity--going hiking to a new spot tomorrow.
So I'll end with this: those of us who love your work are going to need to take care of our mental (and physical et al) health and focus on LONG term. This place is coming crashing down around our ears, and we're going to need as much capacity as we can muster for some time to come.
Read this thread from a government official:
https://twitter.com/ryanbrownCA/status/1772816088193175954
These are the stupidest people who have ever lived.
In the end, all that matters are the people around us, the people in our hearts, the Person above us. And dogs. Always, dogs!
You are such a great writer. You hold them up to the X-ray machine and we discover there is nothing inside.
On another note, even if the culture war is 90% chaff, it lets me read Bray articles like this one! There IS a silver lining, kids!
Now days, I run through my daily news sites fast in the morning, just scanning headlines. I hardly read anything anymore. (These are NOT MSM news sites!) I read all of virtually every post of every Substack writer (Substacker?) I subscribe to, or save for a rainy day. I stay in my small red town in my small red county in my fairly big mostly-red state and try never to go to the capitol city because all the sudden there are unattractive trans people at the state farmers market or Costco who are clearly just waiting for someone to say something. I'm in the South. Mostly we just say, "Bless your heart."
I have to marvel at the juxtaposition of "the state will use no resources to....." and "come here for your minor's abortion - on us!"
I’m one of your subscribers that said your post kept me awake. And, sadly, that night it did. Not because of the governments are doing, but to whom and how they did it. But, that’s not my normal operating mode. I am truly living my best life. I’ve lived a life of accomplishment, am semi-retired, work because I want to, but only when I want to, and wake up every day joyful, grateful, and eager to see what I can accomplish and who I can bless and be blessed by. I’d trade my government for one the Founding Fathers envisioned, but would never trade my life for another’s.
I truly believe in the concept of “fight your foxhole.” California is not my foxhole. So I “fight” locally - the happy warrior, all the while living my best life.
Thanks for all your posts. I always read your first.
I was lamenting about kicks in the gut & junk...
I have a theory that the most insane & extreme political creatures are local: city councils, county councils, school boards, etc.
I live in a suburb of Tacoma which is only 250K at its max, but the mayor and city council are trying hard to be as destructive to humanity as any big city council.
The roads in Tacoma are in dire need of patching, but instead we are spending Brazilians of dollars for a SF type cable car...WTF? You can get around Tacoma in about 10 minutes on a bike.
They outlawed plastic bags.
They made affirmations about climate changes.
They are, of course, a sanctuary city circa 2017ish.
A recent headline asks if the city council should demand a ceasefire in Gaza, pretty sure Netanyahu reads the News Tribune before making tactical/strategic war decisions.
All of it. All of it is hubris. Pride. A bridge collapses isolating the 6th (?) largest port in the US--but let's continue to bring in 5K military aged men from every last shit-hole on the planet and all of our adversaries--becasue why would we worry about our infrastructure?
I'm out to go walk my dogs in our intermittent sun.
bsn
The 'sanctuary city' declaration is a wonderful tell. It signals to the rest of us that the city council is inept, ignorant and worst of all, bored. I feel dismay for the perhaps 11 non-leftists still residing in Sacramento, the rest are getting what they voted for.
"The Leader is good. The Leader is great. Surrender our will. As of this date."
This type of bureaucratic infestation will fight, nearly to the death, to avoid loss of power and genuine reform. It will use money, deceit, slander, silence, misdirection, subterfuge, and other methods of harm, up to and including physical force, if pushed hard enough.
I try to consider modern parallels. I grew up in and around NYC in the 70s and 80s. Parts of that city looked like Beirut during Lebanon's civil war. The economy was awful. The city was broke. Garbage was piled in the streets. Civil servants were constantly on strike. Crime was everywhere. Yet, somehow, it got turned around. The people said "enough" and elected leaders who promised and delivered change.
This current problem, somehow, seems deeper. It's certainly more widespread.
At some point, people have to say "enough."
Financial advice for both governments and people: If you are out of money, EVERY DOLLAR SPENT MATTERS.
So Sacramento A) has declared itself a trans sanctuary, and B) is broke?
Maybe someone should calculate exactly how much that senseless, needless, virtual signaling actually cost the broke citizens of Sacramento in terms of man hours, paper, ink, electricity, etc! And just imagine what they might have accomplished if they’d devoted the same amount of time, energy and resources towards fixing a problem that actually existed!
What a wasted City, what a wasted State!
I believe most of what we see on the surface is a distraction from what THEY don’t want us to see under the surface. P. Diddy. NBC yanks chain on Rona. Ship accidentally or purposely hits bridge which is or isn’t a coordinated attack on our critical infrastructure. Rinse and repeat daily.
Certainly get outside, enjoy Gods creation, decompress and try not to take life too seriously.
Also, do everything legally possible to not financially feed the system, prepare your family for the collapse and then positively participate in the rebuild of a functioning society.
I am realizing I can buy an RV/Trailer for cheap, park it near an airport outside of CA, (lost of farmers with large plots of rural land are offering to host for cheap, and visit it from time to time. Might be the temporary sanity-inducing cost-effective solution I am looking for. it is too hard to drive "out of" CA (to sierra N Coast red counties) for a weekend.
Chris, your writing is powerful enough to send some of off the edge from time to time. It's a complement, our insomnia. :)
Anyhow, it also makes me very very spicy-feeling.
I feel as if I'm standing knee-deep in a great flowing river of shite; everywhere I look it's shite, roaring all around me, its wind blowing the trees. Like Niagara-level shite. My meager and humble request is this: some brave men and women to do their $%^# jobs, from Main Street to the ... Congress.
I feel as if I'm wandering the Emyn Muil, to the point where I've turned off Warroom, spend little time on the news, and a lot more time outdoors. I'm in North Idaho so there's lots of opportunity--going hiking to a new spot tomorrow.
So I'll end with this: those of us who love your work are going to need to take care of our mental (and physical et al) health and focus on LONG term. This place is coming crashing down around our ears, and we're going to need as much capacity as we can muster for some time to come.
She's worth fighting for, so onward!