TDS…It Lives!

Trump Derangement Syndrome not only lives, it’s unstoppable. It’s the Posleen of current politics. My friends on the left, you are simply looking for validation of your fears. You’ve let Trump live rent free in your heads so long, you seem certain that everything bad in the world is because of him, regardless of facts or reality. You don’t want a discussion of what is going on, nor the ways in which it might be changed (legally). You want someone who doesn’t agree with your politics to follow your preferred solutions, even if they aren’t legal. You want everyone to praise your noble thoughts, no dissent allowed.

Case 1:

I’m actually not aware of any ways that Trump is like Hitler on a real and rational level, but I tried my best to point out things that I think Trump has done well. I didn’t vote for the man in ’16, but his policies are turning me into a fan and I’ll probably vote for him in ’20 if he keeps this up.

Rights of Man

My review of Thomas Paine’s Rights of Man

 

The Founding Father’s most influential work: an impassioned defense of democracy and revolution in the name of human rights.

Whatever is my right as a man is also the right of another; and it becomes my duty to guarantee as well as to possess.

In Rights of Man, Founding Father of the United States Thomas Paine makes a compelling case in favor of the French Revolution. Written in response to Edmund Burke’s highly critical Reflections on the Revolution in France, its forceful rebuke of aristocratic rule and persuasive endorsement of self-government made it one of the most influential political statements in history. Paine asserts that human rights are not granted by the government but inherent to man’s nature. He goes on to argue that the purpose of government is to protect these natural rights, and if a government fails to do so, its people are duty-bound to revolution.

Originally published in two parts, in 1791 and 1792, Rights of Man was a popular sensation in the United States, while in England, its incendiary views were seen as a threat to the Crown. For its erudite prose and rigorous argumentation, it remains a classic text of political thought.

I’m Out

I had to unfollow someone on Facebook this week. Teh Burning Stoopid just got to be too much. I didn’t unfriend her, I’ll likely follow her feed again once the political crap she understands nothing about quiets down. But it’s been going on nearly a year now. I need a break.

It started with Trump’s election.

I wrote about that here. And the meltdown from the left was quite funny for a long time.

But they’re still going on about how horrible Trump is and how horrible guns are. I’ve had enough. These are the people who think Trump is the worst thing to happen EVAH! and who point out time and again that too much political power is a bad thing

Doing politics in business

Quite a few NFL players have been deciding to take a political stance during the National Anthem. There’s nothing illegal about that, it’s their right. It’s not a new thing either. A few years ago then St. Louis Rams players decided to come out of the locker room showing the ‘Hands Up’ gesture. Last year Colin Kaepernick decided to take a knee during the National Anthem to protest minority rights and has now been joined by, it seems like, everyone in the NFL.

Well, there are a few that haven’t fallen into the victim mentality. Here we have Alejandro Villanueva who was the only member of his entire team to come out of the locker room for the Anthem. 

Now, the only business I’ve ever been in charge of myself was when I was a kid and mowed lawns. But I’ve observed some of my relatives as they ran their small businesses. And I’ve worked for a fair number of private companies (along with some government agencies). Customer Service is stressed quite heavily, even in government believe it or not. Rule #1 in Customer Service is Don’t Piss Off the Customer.

Training

I spent the last two and a half days in training. WooHoo! This department doesn’t have much of a training budget, at least not for us dispatchers. I came back to this department (originally worked here from January 1998 to May 2000) in January 2008. After training on departmental policy I had Active Shooter Response training in December 2008. That was the last training I had other than working the new video recorders and data logger.

Tuesday:

Clarke and Tracie Paris spoke The Pain Behind the Badge, about suicide prevention and dealing with Post Traumatic Stress. Good stuff. Emotional stuff. I cried. They listed about 30 items that are indicators of Post Traumatic Stress. I ticked off about half of them.

This didn’t surprise me. Back in May 2000 I moved from a tiny department on a college campus to a small department in an adjoining town, and got sent to APCO Basic Telecommunicator training with the other dispatcher that also got hired in May. The instructor handed out a sheet about stress and various stressor events. I think there were about 25 or so on the list and point values. And then there was a chart at the end something like this:

• 0-5 points was no real stress to worry about
• 6-10 points was light stress, you might consider counseling
• 11-15 points was moderate stress, you should contact a counselor
• 16+ points was severe stress, you need to contact a counselor

Cover Your Ass

I was talking with a coworker this afternoon about an incident that happened last night. I was relaying my frustrations about how I was sitting on the phone talking to another dispatcher at another agency, requesting assistance for my officers and she was asking questions that, if you think about them at all, are obvious.

ME: I have an officer requesting back up. Male ran from him, last seen heading southbound down ROBERTS ST TOWARD NP AVE.

DISPATCH: Is that North or South?

ME: Southbound on ROBERTS ST. (there is no ROBERTS ST south of MAIN AVE. This is your city, you should know that)

D: Where did this start at?

ME: 2 AVE/7 ST N (not that it really helps, since that isn’t where he was last seen)

OFFICER: I have one at Taser point, 1 AVE/10 ST, I need backup.

ME to Officer: 10-4, one at Taser point, 1 AVE/10 ST N.

OTHER AGENCY OFFICER: I’m out with the XXXX officer, 1 AVE/10 ST.

ME to Dispatch: He’s out with the subject 1 AVE/10 ST N.

D: OK, do you still need us to respond?

ME: Yes! He has one at Taser point. (You already have one of your officers on scene!)

This Shit Needs To Stop

I’m getting quite tired of the #NoDAPL protestors coming to this state and causing trouble. If this administration wasn’t headed by such a limp dicked piece of shit it wouldn’t have gotten this far out of control. Many of the protestors would be awaiting trial in Federal Court and likely a lengthy stay courtesy of Uncle Sam.

Destroying property, polluting the environment, starting fires, blocking railroad tracks and highways, throwing rocks, burning logs and molotov cocktails, and shooting at officers is in no way ‘peaceful’. Most of those arrested have been out-of-state agitators. They have been egged on by the liberal activists Mark Ruffalo, Shailene Woodley, Susan Sarandon, Kristen Wiig and Jesse Jackson, as well as former Presidential Candidate Jill Stein. It has dragged on far too long because of the direct actions of President Obama. This is unacceptable interference.

Interference with commerce by threats or violence – 18 USC 1951

• Whoever in any way or degree obstructs, delays, or affects commerce or the movement of any article or commodity in commerce, by robbery or extortion or attempts or conspires so to do, or commits or threatens physical violence to any person or property in furtherance of a plan or purpose to do anything in violation of this section shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than twenty years, or both.

Definitions of terrorism – 18 USC 2331

• (5) the term “domestic terrorism” means activities that—
  (A) involve acts dangerous to human life that are a violation of the criminal laws of the United States or of any State;

  (B) appear to be intended—

  (i) to intimidate or coerce a civilian population;

  (ii) to influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion; or

  (iii) to affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction, assassination, or kidnapping; and
  (C) occur primarily within the territorial jurisdiction of the United States.

This is why liberals can’t have nice things

Post election meltdown by liberals is quite frankly rather funny, but also a little terrifying. When offered a solution to their problems, they immediately show their complete lack of discipline. This is why modern liberals can’t have nice things or be trusted to uphold rights.