Happy Independence Day and/or Week, Heritage Crew! Two hundred-forty-three years ago, our forebears began a nearly insurmountable struggle to throw off the rule of (what some of them deemed) a Tyrant. Today, their Descendants are in need of another.
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In last year’s column, we examined some of the historical curiosities leading up to 1776 and their aftermath, briefly flipping through the long decline, and finishing with a look towards the looming future. Here, I thought it might be nice to explore any chance of a reprieve, however unlikely, and a return to some earlier, more AMERICAN version of America. (I’d pick the period of the Confederation (1781 – 1789), or, if that’s not possible, of the Republic (1789 – 1861)).
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In 1789, the free People of the Sovereign States committed an error in birthing a strong central government. It proved too powerful, arresting the independence of the States during the early 1860s, and totally subjugating them in 1913. At some point during the early Twentieth Century, the American Empire morphed into the United States Empire. That latter polity, under which we currently suffer, nears its predictable end; it currently collapses at free fall speed. Even now, wicked, useless elites scramble to suck out what value remains, while their scavenger hordes descend upon the rotting shell.
Perrin’s so-cool Bicentennial Wall Rug of Freedom by Ethan Allen (yeah, same pic from last year).
Western civilization was founded on a set of philosophies that focus strongly on the sanctity of individuals and their power of logic and reason. This belief led to a desire to trust things that could be proven to be true or legitimate, from government to science. Judeo-Christian morality has formed the basis of most Western notions of ethics and behavioral standards. Thus, the attack on Western civilization must begin with the attack on the church and Christian values, and, just as important, the family unit must be undermined. The reason why the church, Christian values and family are targets of the left is they want people’s loyalty and allegiance to be to the state. The church, Christianity and the family stand in the way. Let’s look at some of the left’s agenda.
Do read on about the left. But first, understand the right’s agenda (of purpose and of oversight). Safely ignore the use of “Judeo-Christian,” which doesn’t exist. Williams means well and is not trying to deceive. But, some are. Before getting to those philosophies, know that the West is: Christian (period), Greco-Roman, and European. Take a one and the house falls; take them all away, as would the ignorant youth and their herders, and you have nothing left at all.
In a world and nation where reading goes by the wayside, it’s nice that sometimes a few writers poke their heads in here. Hey, y’all! Read this about some 1984ish changes to Word.
I’ve been a writer for thirty years. I have over two hundred thousand MS Word docs on my computer. But now, I’m converting all those files to a different word processor.
I don’t want to do it. But I have no choice. MS Word — the default application for novelists, poets, journalists and playwrights — has just become Big Brother. No serious writer can use it anymore.
The problem: Microsoft now “offers” an AI tool designed to “improve” my writing. For example, if I type, “We need some fresh blood around here,” Word now changes that phrase to “We must hire some qualified employees.” Or, if I type the word “waitress,” Word now changes it to “waitperson.” (see HERE and HERE and HERE.)
We’ll assume that it converts “Robert E. Lee” to “Satan.” I haven’t used Word in years, before being a WordPerfect fan. That too got a little tedious. Now, like so many I’m either directly in the editing side of WP or – and, yeah, really stupid – using Gdocs. Who knows how much longer any of the platforms will be safe.
I’m not ready to revert to a manual typewriter, though I really am open to the idea. More likely, in the near future, I’ll hard set something like Scrivener on a dumb device or get a restored Tandy running AmiPro. The conversion and publication thingies are a little more complicated with those options, but there are viable workarounds.
This is one of the drafts that has just sat around for years, even surviving the rapid draft purge of last December. The other day, I spoke to a friend and was reminded of the quandary, which is as follows:
Tolkien, among his many and excellent descriptive narrations, loved to describe characters looking off and over vast distances, frequently espying objects at extreme distances. This always struck me as funny. Here’s one example, from The Hobbit:
“But they came to that high point at morning, and looking backward they saw a white sun shining over the outstretched lands. There behind lay Mirkwood, blue in the distance, and darkly green at the nearer edge even in the spring. There far away was the Lonely Mountain on the edge of eyesight. On its highest peak snow yet unmelted was gleaming pale.”
– Bilbo (and Gandalf) at the High Pass over the Misty Mountains, Chapter 18, The Return Journey
A lovely scene. But, was it possible? Could Bilbo, or anyone for that matter, have seen Erebor from roughly 300 miles away? Let’s, right here and now, find out.
Assumptions:
A) “300 miles” is based on my crude calculation and measurement, using the map and scale included in the deluxe boxed edition of the LOTR, from where I think the High Pass is located to where I think the peak of Erebor stands gleaming. The scale ruler is 0 – 300 miles, and it is almost an exact fit.
B) Arda was modeled after the real Earth and was spherical in the late Third Age. I will assume it is also roughly the same size and mass and with the same radius, diameter, etc.
C) I assume that this bright, sunny morning was completely free of any and all atmospheric distortion and there were no physical obstacles in the way.
D) Bilbo had better than average eyes, but I assume The Ring did not augment his visual abilities.
E) If Lonely Mountain was still snow-capped in a “fair” Spring, then it must be at least 10,000 feet tall. For convenience sake, I assume the High Pass was of similar elevation.
F) I assume my use of the simple equation, below, is sufficient. I essentially double it, thus effectively creating the measure of the more complex geometrical “offing” equation. I’m rambling about a book, not sailing a damned ship.
Now, it’s just a matter of math. Looking for distance, “d,” in miles, to the horizon:
d ≅ 1.22 x √h
“h” is the height of the observation point – here, assumed to be at least or about 10,000 ft.
d ≅ 1.22 x √10,000
d ≅ 122 miles
Uh, oh…
But, wait! Tolkien never said Erebor was at or on the actual horizon, he said it was on the edge of eyesight. As mariners know, some taller objects are visible over and beyond the horizon. Keeping Bilbo’s point of observation at about 10,000 ft, let’s measure how far the horizon was would be, from Erebor, looking towards the West.
If Erebor is 10,000 feet high, then we know it’s another 122 miles. Assuming Bilbo saw the very tip of the top of the highest peak over and beyond his already 122-mile distant horizon, and allowing for simple addition (a lot of assumptions and allowances, yes), then it’s still 56 miles too far away to be seen. But, what if Erebor was taller than 10,000 feet?
If Erebor was a 20,000-foot mountain, then it’s own d to the horizon would be 172 miles, for a total line of sight of 294 miles. That is getting there. If the High Pass was really high, say 15,000 feet, then Bilbo’s d to the horizon would be 149 miles. That adds up to a total potential line of sight of 321 miles.
Thus, and I did not really expect this, given all of my assumptions, there is a distinctly plausible range of line of sight which renders Bilbo’s sighting hypothetically possible. He, in fact, could have looked across Wilderland and literally seen the tip-top of the Lonely Mountain.
To think you doubted Professor Tolkien just a little. To cure this shame, we’ll give him the benefit of the doubt as to all the other measurements. Astounding detail and accuracy.
An engineer type does a pretty good job of breaking it down, in somewhat vague terms, as an existential threat.
“Robots plus online AI is a different threat. Online AI could possibly shut down or sabotage human defences while turning our defences on ourselves in coordination with a robot uprising.
“Possible, but hopefully unlikely.”
Commenting on the likelihood of his warning, he added: “Only if regulators are stupid and allow them to be superhuman or to access superhuman powers.
“On the other hand, our regulators often are stupid.”
Yeah! The regulators! If that’s the defense, then we’re as good as dead.
Thousands of posts. Hundreds of views. Twenty-three comments. One rambling host. Yeah, so I missed the actual birthday on the 24th, but it was on this day, back in 2012, that things really got started here:
And, after years of my relentless nagging, the issue of ObamaCare was pretty much de-teethed (though not repealed).
Thanks for all the visits. Now’s about the time I normally talk about new and better changes. There’ll be some – you’ll know ’em when you see them.
All that great technology and progress and whatnot may see humans devolve within a hundred years, literally sliding back down the “ascent of man” poster.
Experts have examined the way technology will affect the human form, suggesting the body may change dramatically.
Creating a 3D model of a future human called “Mindy”, scientists said people living in 2100 may have hunched backs from hours of sitting over computers and looking at smartphones.
Mindy also has bigger neck muscles to compensate for her poor posture, a thicker skill to protect from radiation and a smaller brain that has shrunk from leading a largely sedentary lifestyle.
Humans in fewer than 100 years may also have claw-like hands from gripping their phones
And, the nuts want future “humans” to live for 100, 1,000, 10,000 years – like that. Smaller brains and weaker bodies… Probably with mental issues too. Sounds like the makings of a new race of SJW Untermenschen. I wonder if “Mindy” agrees with “her” cis-normative naming? Can she agree with anything? I’m sure that the bright minds of Big Tech have loving solutions to all of these issues – like “smart” chips embedded in the (smaller) brains and so forth, easy direct access to … whatever, and easy control (which will go two ways). I’m not as sure, but I’m getting there, that all this damned technology may be a huge mistake.
This week, the gang at TPC is on vacation – a summer tradition and well earned. However, National Affairs never stop, relent, nor sleep. Ergo, this week the C.F. Floyd National Affairs Column slums here at my little old blog. Welcome! Getting right down to it,
Last week, on “Juneteenth” – a holy day among the tribes of the central Congo, I believe – a very special committee hearing convened in Mordor. Specifically, the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution (yeah, one wonders if they have another subcommittee on powdered wigs or dinosaurs…) held forth on H.R. 40 (2019), the brainchild (if that’s even possible) of Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-La-La land).
This is the first Bill addressed in Congress proposing formal … well, let’s let Mrs. Jackson Lee’s work speak for itself:
A BILL
To address the fundamental injustice, cruelty, brutality, and inhumanity of slavery in the United States and the 13 American colonies between 1619 and 1865 and to establish a commission to study and consider a national apology and proposal for reparations for the institution of slavery, its subsequent de jure and de facto racial and economic discrimination against African-Americans, and the impact of these forces on living African-Americans, to make recommendations to the Congress on appropriate remedies, and for other purposes.
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This Act may be cited as the “Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African-Americans Act”.
Knowing that it does not get any better than the above, feel free to waste time reading THE WHOLE BILL.
Before we discuss the … merits… of H.R. 40 … okay, there are no merits, but uh, let’s have a little history anyway. I’ll spin it in a way to support the reparations racket (which I do in fact support). Did you know that,
Black Africans used to build spaceship pyramids? They did before they were enslaved in America in 1619. All true.
Black Africans are (were) the “real” Egyptians, real Hebrews, real Muslims, and even the real Black Africans.
There was no slavery in Africa, prior to the arrival of those wicked men from “Roots.” Africans, Arabs, and other Semitic peoples had absolutely nothing to do with slavery. Just whites. Time to pay!
The very first registered slave-owner in America was certainly NOT a black man… No.
No whites were ever held in slavery in America or anywhere else. Do not let the damned Irish and Slavs try to deceive you.
Blacks in America are almost all slaves today and have been since 1619 (maybe since 619!).
Blacks in America are almost entirely treated as chattel property, without autonomy or the right to own property, vote, or hold office. (This makes Sheila Jackson Lee’s existence as an elected official all the more remarkable).
No Civil War, Presidential Proclamation, law, or Constitutional Amendment was ever even considered to ameliorate this terrible injustice.
Blacks in America, if they are allowed schooling, are schooled in segregated institutions.
No-one named Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, Jesse Jackson, or Maynard Jackson ever lived.
There were no civil rights movement and attendant laws in the middle of the 20th Century.
Except for the extremely odd case of Sheila Jackson Lee (and a few very other strange cases), there are no Black elected officials in America.
Out of … a whole lot of white guys … no Black American has ever served as President. Ever. Certainly not as recently as three years ago.
And – I’ll just throw this in for fantasy measure – there are no other races or ethnic divisions in America. It’s just oppressive whites and oppressed blacks. We also have no demographic, societal, educational, economic, political, or other troubles to worry about.
So, one can plainly see that reparations for something no-one alive today ever had anything to do with, is the right thing to do. That’s not just the accelerationist in me talking. Okay, honestly it is…
Whatever you do, please pay no heed to right-wing, white supremacist, Nazi extremists like Coleman Hughes, who testified at the hearing on behalf of the Ku Klux Klan:
He and his “justice for the dead at the price of justice for the living” crap are just pure hate. Instead, all those of you still working and singing on the Political Plantation, listen to the great wisdom of the Chairman, Mas’ (((Cohen))). “Chill!” like the man ordered. Don’t be “presumptive,” as he condescended. Know your place and your rank on the totem pole. If scraps come your way, then be grateful.
Looking beyond certain failure in the current Senate or on Trump’s desk, the fact the hearing was held and taken with any degree of seriousness, tells you something about AmericaThe United States This Place Between Mexico and Canada. If this passes, and some form of it may in time, then it will be just another heap of dirt in the grave of civilization on these shores. Bluntly, anyone who supports this scheme, at face value and for the “reasons” listed in the Bill, proves himself not necessarily African, but most certainly not American. Take the loot and then go home?
Note: Other big doin’s around the Nation include Bernie Sanders’s surprisingly good idea to cancel ALL student loan debt. We have “strong” sanctions on Iran (again, still). And, we have no Southern border whatsoever. This, that, maybe more, maybe something else, when TPC resumes on Sunday, the 30th. I may participate in the looming SUPER POST! Stay tuned. Please remember to tip your server as you exit perrinlovett[dot]me…
Sometimes the Old Gray Lady has a very interesting idea or story. Here’s one about the fading tranquility of happy, wireless-free life in a land gone media mad.
The off-grid places are disappearing. And that’s as it should be. We must wire up rural America; cell service is now a utility almost as essential as electricity or heat. In April, the Federal Communications Commission announced that it will hold the biggest auction of radio spectrum in this country’s history; the auction, scheduled for late this year, is part of an effort to spread cell coverage to even the most remote towns ahead of the rollout of 5G networks.
Unfortunately, ownership of the telecommunication grids will go to corporate giants rather than to the communities themselves. But even so, small towns are fighting to be wired up. It’s likely that in 10 or so years, the country will be blanketed with signal, from sea to shining sea.
I’m hopeful that when that happens, we might retain just a few quiet places where it’s still possible to disconnect.
Activists have already created “dark sky reserves” to protect wilderness from artificial light. In the future, might we also create “privacy reserves” where we can go to escape the ubiquitous internet?
The irony is that, even as I type this on a laptop, wi-fi connected to Skynet, and with a stupid phone by my side, I consider that maybe all the technology could have been a mistake. To back 20 years. Or, 40. 400?
PERRIN LOVETT 
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