As you say near the end of this excellent essay, "Who knows?"-- indeed. So many people surprised me in the most gobsmackingly disappointing way with their stupidity, hypocrisy, and cruelty, from the ACLU to the Libertarian Party to the leaders of so many churches... it's a long, long list, and it includes some of my oldest, dearest friends. Personally, generally, I'm big on forgiveness, but visceral disgust, I can't get past that. There are too many organizations and individuals that are gone from my life now, and good riddance. On my optimistic days (which are most) I'll call it all a learning experience, and expect not to be so surprised in the future. But I must say, 2020-present has been a heckuva a weird thing to live through.
It's hard to unsee what's happened. I've lost 9 of my best 10 friends over this. And plenty more in the second and third tiers. None has owned up to having gullibly supported an evil, destructive set of lies.
In a way, this makes things easier to deal with any feeling of loss. If people didn't--and still don't--see what they've bought or aren't big enough to admit an error, I don't value their judgment. And if you don't value someone's judgment, how can you trust or like them?
I’ve spent a lot of time (perhaps too much) contemplating what it is in the fundamental character of people like you, Mark, and those of us who see the Rorschach picture as you do (including just about all your active commenters on this thread).
What would/should we call it? How common is it in reality? How do we create more of it? And how do we find each other and gather in strength?
I get along with people, or at least used to. I make friends easily enough that I didn't have to go along to get along. And I saw my parents obey many dumb rules, just to be nice. I didn't want to do that.
I will attest to Mark O being an easy going nice guy . I knocked on his door and he let me right in , before realizing I was a commenter on his Stack ! Awesome guy sincerely!
1. We were not afraid to be wrong. And we were not afraid to call WRONG wrong. We were willing to stand up to social tyranny. In other words; we had balls.
2. Curiosity
3. Empathy
4. We were willing to pay the price. Many, many people feared losing something (job, social relationships, Costco privileges,etc). The fear of losing something is the biggest motivator known to mankind. It will launch a thousand hideous ships of terror.
5. I suspect most accepted how it would end; knowing that resistance was done for your freedom but also that of others...and that there would be no credit and everyone would choose to learn nothing and want to move on and that we would be accused of not moving on.
6. Knowing that the only thing worse than being shamed was to be a coward
7. I also suspect most of us simply could not pretend that nobody else was pretending
I often wonder what separated folks who saw through the nonsense. That's my best guess. Feel free to correct me.
And you know what? What wonderful qualities We The People have here. It always comes down to the few to fight tyranny.
Best explanation I've seen yet as to why those of us who stood up to Covid tyranny did so. Your first reason caught my attention! I kept telling my husband in 2020 that it was odd to be the only person out in public, man or woman, with balls! 🏀🏀
What great comments! Solid reasons, solid questions, that I think we all turned over in our heads throughout this latest psychotic episode, in an unfortunately long history of "man's" psychotic episodes.
If I had to pin only one reason why many people can be so baselessly motivated, it would be fear.
As I was always Unmasked (& the rest of Mark's great T-shirt!) I saw it in their eyes at the grocery stores when I would go against the ridiculously stupid arrows in the aisles, & I heard it in their "reasons" for blindly following the insanity.
Any dictator or tyrant worth his salt knows how to manipulate fear, & I'd say now that our Country, her institutions & Government, have more salt than they know what to with, but are relentlessly working to machinate new ways.
The question(s) of "Why us....what made us different enough that we recognized the insanity?" are elusive. (Sentinel Intelligence is one postulation, but why do WE have it, & so few others?) The excellent reasons given above by y'all on the how's & why's of our reactions, is a roadmap to who we have decided to be in this life....we are a very principled lot, to us, walking that talk is paramount, & rightly so.
Take heart & revel in the fact that we are who we are.....cause maybe G-d made us this way for a reason? 😉
I think GW would have associated with us....
"Associate yourself with men (AND WOMEN! :-) of good quality, if you esteem your own reputation, for 'tis better to be alone than in poor company."
George Washington
1st President of the FREEDOM Loving United States of America
What I couldn't fathom was how other people around couldn't see what unholy damage the lockdowns would do... for starts. It was obvious to me that the lockdowns were not only counter-productive, they were a horrific human rights abuse that would never be forgotten-- at least not in my lifetime, and I plan to live for a long while.
Also, what I still find exceedingly strange is how most people seem to have so few questions. Most seem to have none, actually.
Empathy is there, but I now see how shallow it is, and apt to suddenly evaporate.
When it comes to human nature, I wasn't born yesterday; all the same, I got quite an education from 2020-present.
You have distilled my own attitudes very succinctly.
Many have said that I have the patience of Job, but now, I refuse to suffer fools, & these last few years have exposed the latent "fool" in far too many.
"And if you don't value someone's judgment, how can you trust or like them?" That sums up my thoughts about many I used to consider friends. I do ask myself if I should be more understanding but I just can't reach that point as it relates to what I saw as a total lack of reasoning about the events of the last four years.
You're not voting could help get Trump elected. And Trump, among other things, wants internment camps to house illegal immigrants on their way to being deported. And how difficult would it be after they are erected, to change their status to internment camps for US citizen 'dissidents' & anti-vaxxers ? So I FEAR Trump and the greater evil he's capable of. And where does that lead ? A vote for Harris-Walz.
The Coronamania refrain of "Stay Safe" drives me nutty. I always reply with Stay Free (credit Russell Brand I guess). I remember well our Bamm Bamm's pediatrician lamenting to me that it was a shame that Americans enjoyed so much freedom as to give them at least enough bodily autonomy to decline the poison mRNA and flu shot. Of course this was after my response to the Covid vaccinations question ("because I can read") forced her to actually need to exit the exam room for minutes to collect herself and return shaking in fear and maybe a little anger.
Hey Barney, please tell the rest of us in Bedrock, that you were able to quickly find Bamm Bamm another Doc that rejected the Plandemic et al, & grasps the true meaning of the Hippocratic Oath?
I wish I could tell you that but I cannot. I'm not sure there are many around. And Bamm Bamm #2 will not be seeing a pediatrician for much longer. we had a long discussion about that exchange with the doctor on the way home from that visit explaining the Dr - Parent - Bamm Bamm hierarchy of our home.
My daughter, who, like me, woke up to the toxicity of ALL jabs in light of the obvious toxicity of the COVID jab, searched long and hard for a pediatrician who shared her values. She finally found one, though he is an hour away and across a state line from her. But since she lives in a blue state that views lack of regular kid checkups as child abuse, the distance is well worth it to her.
I have been pondering how much better Europe was when it were all separate countries. The benefits of no passport needed do not weigh up to the disaster Europe is now. I wonder how the States would fare, if we went back to 50 separate states. I think that big-bigger-biggest is totally wrong. If you have small local communities, you know everyone around you and your mayor etc. but when things grow bigger, you don't know anyone anymore. NO idea where to turn in need. Not even a voice on the phone, as it is all computerized. It would also be much easier to move to the next village or town if you don't like what you see. (unless in New-Guinea where you might be considered the next meal if you do)
Mark, I don't know how you do it. Every Thursday post tops the last one. Thank you for the glimpse of young Mark, it helps explain your evolution into a leader of the Freedom Fighters today. And, thanks to you, I believe those of us who have found your Substack here are now better equipped to fight the next round of baloney they'll try to force down our throats.
Every week, I wonder what to write about. I often sit quietly and something occurs to me. I've lived long enough to have done and seen a lot of stuff. People tell me I have a good memory. I don't know when I'll run out of ideas. Maybe next week.
Though, b/c this Coronamanic nightmare continues, sometimes recent experiences provide a theme.
It's so great to read how you've lived life to the fullest. Carpe Diem! Although I was also quite adventurous, women do not have the same luxury as you were able to achieve. Not complaining, just stating fact.
I thought the exact same thing ICI, about half- way through Mark's recounting of his adventures. I feel the same way you do. It's just a fact of nature. I also thought of this truism: the only thing standing in the way of bad men who would harm women are good men willing to fight.
Mark. I think it’s Divine Inspiration. Somehow you always write about topics that interest us and make us think. The past 4 years have convinced me we're in a fight of good vs. evil. The S.O.B.'s in government, big pharma and the media have shown us their playbook and I've learned from that. I've bonded with like-minded "Freedom Fighters" in my own community, and online in forums such as this. This morning, after I read your post, a YouTube channel I follow had a new video on how to deal with bullies. This creator is a prepper and martial arts teacher. I thought - what great timing. What stood out in this video was find something to agree on. Get the bully (vaxxing - masking Karen, for example) to side with me on something, however small. That helps diffuse the situation, dissipate their anger a bit. Focus on the real problem, not what the "authorities" have thrown out to divide Karen and me. You are planting seeds. Your gardening skills are still paying off in ways you couldn’t have imagined 5 years ago.
Again, that was a perfect description of the dystopian drama that the government/media/medical and university establishment inflicted on the American public during the scamdemic. However, the dystopian drama from the legacy media continues to this day in preparation for the election. It seems that legacy media is totally unrepentant and delusional name calling and reporting the other side as nazis dangers continues. Seems to me that the legacy media has been and continues to be pure propaganda to convince the gullible people of the US to their bidding. I knew it was bad before the scamdemic but I just never realized that it was as bad as it is. Legacy media is total propaganda and BS.
Yes, it seems that someone in the media or even congress is always saying that the people associated with the republican party are just a bunch of bigoted racist nazis (Trump and RFK Jr.) or Putin spies (Tulsi Gabbard). The accusations are beyond ridiculous. Yet, many of my liberal friends and even relatives absolutely believe that tripe. Their media is subjecting them to the same intense brainwashing during the election that everyone around the world was subjected to during the scamdemic. None of what the media says makes sense. None of it coincides with their life experiences. Yet, they absolutely believe the lies because they say it on TV.
Back in the day, I used to pick up hitchhikers, & also gave a few of them "shelter from the storm". But most of them were like you....just out exploring our great Country, or they were on a mission to get somewhere for some experience or other. Unfortunately, I don't seem to see that attribute in the HHs I see now, which I note with sadness, as I see it as a reflection of our current society's dysfunction.
Lesser of 2 evils? As a Constitutional Conservative who knows the difference between our Constitutional Republic, & why "true" Democracy is just the Tyranny of the Majority, I hold no allegiance to any Party, but have consistently voted Red since 2004. However, I do hold to the saying that the Republicans are the Party of the Stupid, & the Democrats are the Party of the Evil.
I will enthusiastically cast my vote for
Trump, but am not a "Trumptard". Trump, like all of us, has his "warts" - he's egotistical, seems to constantly suffer from "Foot in Mouth" disease, has sometimes put great trust & power in the hands of the wrong people, made disastrous decisions (ie Warp Speed) during the early lart of the Dempanic Plandemic (did you catch Scarf Lady Birx on video discussing how she & her team purposely misled Trump & lied about following his orders, at almost every turn?) & of course, he has "mean tweets", among his other warts.
However, because he is not a politician, & under his Presidency (despite the entrenched RINOS in his own Party undermining him in the Legislature), he was Making America Great Again, & I saw no evil then in the Orange Man Bad, nor do I see it today. I do see a love of Country, & of her people......as long as one ignores the innuendo of the MSM & the Party of the Evil.
We currently, literally & figuratively have a PINO in the White House that falls while going up stairs, while Trump, after being hit in the ear by a would be assassins bullet, gets out from under the Secret Service (well, some were Homeland Security) & back up on his feet with Agents still hanging onto him, as he pumps his fist in the air, & yells "Fight, Fight, Fight!!" , to his crowd of stunned but un-panicked We the People!
Yes, that is the type of real man I want to be #47 in 2024, & I hope JD shows well enough that he might be our choice in 2028!
I think younger people have more money now than I did at that age, that they've been more sheltered and that the culture of HH'ing died several decades ago. It's seen as creepy now and I think police would oust people who tried it.
People like a screen-mediated life. You and I grew up without cell phones and computers.
Trump is far better than the execrable Harris. but I can't forget how he caved to the CV bureaucrats and spent all that money subsidizing the states, cities, and businesses and workers, enabling them to lock down.
Trump wants internment camps for illegal immigrants as they are deported. And afterwards ? Might those camps be used to house anti-vaxxers and dissidents afterwards ? Trump is very shifty, a criminal many times over, and a sell out to whoever has the cash. He is just so bad news. I can't believe that anyone would support him. Harris ? Who cares. Her biggest plus is that she's not Trump. I guess we'll have to agree to disagree here Mark.
Sorry Ryan... you've got it wrong. Inverted Totalitarianism is here now and has been well established over a long period of time. Certainly encompassing the last Trump presidency and longer. It's solidly in place and there's nothing Trump, or anybody, could do about it. THEY rule. The President is a figurehead. So the real deal is what do you want ? A lying con-man Grifter asshole or a standard politician. When I voted for Biden, I knew that I was choosing a 'standard politician'.
Richie, do you realize now, after these last 4 years, how wrong you are to think 4 years of Biden was better than 4 years of Trump? Of course I know you don't, and I'm astounded by that, just as I was always astounded by the high number of people who just couldn't see through the many Covid lies.
Vance seems a control mechanism to undermine T45 when the time comes, but let's hope I'm wrong about that, and he's not as evil as Pence, who sold out the country for pence.
I remember when Kamala Harris was an anti-vaxxer, back when it was Trump's vaccine, before Biden became president. I remember when RFK Jr told the truth about the DOD, before he wanted a role in a Trump administration. Everyone thought he was against vaccines because of his work with CHD, but actually he sees nothing wrong with mandating them, as long as they've been tested, whatever that means, but there goes personal autonomy. Labels and politics are meaningless these days. No politician is coming to save us.
“When plunder becomes a way of life for a group of men in a society, over the course of time they create for themselves a legal system that authorizes it and a moral code that glorifies it.”
True freedom is granted to oneself by oneself. And not by any government or self proclaimed authority that has little reason to exist in the first place.
"When injustice becomes law, resistance becomes duty." As I said earlier, a great line. With a bit of investigation, I see now it's often attributed to Thomas Jefferson, although they have not found a direct quote by him. Though, the concept is thoroughly embedded in The Declaration of Independence.
Seems sad people don't hitchhike anymore. I never did, always had wheels. But my wife, who is super hot and always has been (which makes it seem riskier), "thumbed" all the time with no problems until she was 22. Often late at night. Finally had a major scare and got rescued by some extreme good luck, and never did it again. Things are a lot different today, mostly not in a good way.
I wish things were different and we had more societal trust. I drive a big 12-seater van and wish I could pick up those walking or even waiting for a bus, but alas, it's not a good idea nowadays.
I enjoyed your article for several reasons. First, because I always like your writing style and how you take a past experience and weave it into today’s events. Secondly, because I grew up in WV and lived there my whole life until 9 years ago moved to TX. I can imagine some crazy redneck driving like that to show off. The young girl who ‘locked’ ( liked ) you, tells me you must have been in the far southern portion. I visited friends from Mingo-Williamson-Logan county area and could hardly understand what they were saying.🤣 Thirdly, when I think about the Covid scam, I know I will never understand the gullibility of so many people to go along, then turn on those who didn’t fall for the fear mongering. Like you, I lost a couple of ‘best friends’ but consider it a blessing. I don’t need stupid people in my life that are so afraid to see how they were scammed. As always, thanks Mark for another great article.
Read every word, wasn't hard at all. And I'm in a hurry to get to some things. And, I've taken to skimming or not even finishing most substacks these days. YMMV applies I guess.
Curious how many who have hitchhiked and slept on roadsides and the houses of strangers have also rejected the CovidConJob on humanity.
We've had many similar adventures though thankfully I didn't get thrown around by good ole boys in the back of a truck, though something similar to that in the back of a TransAm or a Camaro.
I don't remember what grade Steinkamp gave me. But I've had many experiences since HS and write better now than then, having been taught some methods and getting plenty of practice during my law years.
I liked Steinkamp then--he was a little bit "out there--" and I'd probably like him more now. It must be hard for adults to respect 16-year olds' ideas. I worked with college students for ten years and so many of them are very gullible and closed-minded. Very little critical-thinking or life challenges. They all agree with each other, just to be "nice."
I remember many things Steinkamp and other schoolteachers, college and law school profs said.
Two from Steinkamp: "It's generally recognized that HS is a microcosm of life."
"A compromise makes a good umbrella but a poor roof." ( Quoting Lincoln, I think).
I wish I had that wisdom from a high school teacher! Maybe knowing early on that "high school is a microcosm for life" would have made me a little more skeptical and less naive from the outset! I was a straight A student who refused to use hall passes and often skipped school to take bus rides into New York City in order to take a la carte ballet classes. I thought once I got out of high school, my closed, petty world would open up and be free and rational. What a disappointment to find out it did not and I still had to skirt the "rules." Thank God I became a stay at home mom fairly young and could live by my own rules. (And God bless my husband for sacrificing for all of us and being the rebel he is, too.)
Hah! I had the same question, but also wanted to know which way the whole class "leaned", at that time, waaaayyyyy back in the last Century, & if the teacher carried on a discussion with the students about the results, without interjecting his own personal bias into the discussion!😁
ML
How lucky you were Mark, to have had a teacher who asked such questions of his students.
I wasn't the hardest worker in HS. But I paid attention. People ask me how I learned Spanish. I tell them that I took three years and stayed focused during class. Most other kids took the same amount but saw language learning as a chore and didn't apply themselves.
Def true that kids back in the day weren't so indoctrinated or politically partisan. It's sad and socially damaging.
As you say near the end of this excellent essay, "Who knows?"-- indeed. So many people surprised me in the most gobsmackingly disappointing way with their stupidity, hypocrisy, and cruelty, from the ACLU to the Libertarian Party to the leaders of so many churches... it's a long, long list, and it includes some of my oldest, dearest friends. Personally, generally, I'm big on forgiveness, but visceral disgust, I can't get past that. There are too many organizations and individuals that are gone from my life now, and good riddance. On my optimistic days (which are most) I'll call it all a learning experience, and expect not to be so surprised in the future. But I must say, 2020-present has been a heckuva a weird thing to live through.
100%, TB.
It's hard to unsee what's happened. I've lost 9 of my best 10 friends over this. And plenty more in the second and third tiers. None has owned up to having gullibly supported an evil, destructive set of lies.
In a way, this makes things easier to deal with any feeling of loss. If people didn't--and still don't--see what they've bought or aren't big enough to admit an error, I don't value their judgment. And if you don't value someone's judgment, how can you trust or like them?
I’ve spent a lot of time (perhaps too much) contemplating what it is in the fundamental character of people like you, Mark, and those of us who see the Rorschach picture as you do (including just about all your active commenters on this thread).
What would/should we call it? How common is it in reality? How do we create more of it? And how do we find each other and gather in strength?
Beautifully written piece, btw.
Thanks, Nick.
I get along with people, or at least used to. I make friends easily enough that I didn't have to go along to get along. And I saw my parents obey many dumb rules, just to be nice. I didn't want to do that.
I will attest to Mark O being an easy going nice guy . I knocked on his door and he let me right in , before realizing I was a commenter on his Stack ! Awesome guy sincerely!
I loved that you stopped by, Brandon. You are welcome back anytime.
Possibly thanksgiving time , will
Let you know …I lost a few family relationships
Same, same and same, Mark :-) (But still wondering what made us that way...)
To me, it was a really easy call, when one looked at basic costs and benefits.
Why?
1. We were not afraid to be wrong. And we were not afraid to call WRONG wrong. We were willing to stand up to social tyranny. In other words; we had balls.
2. Curiosity
3. Empathy
4. We were willing to pay the price. Many, many people feared losing something (job, social relationships, Costco privileges,etc). The fear of losing something is the biggest motivator known to mankind. It will launch a thousand hideous ships of terror.
5. I suspect most accepted how it would end; knowing that resistance was done for your freedom but also that of others...and that there would be no credit and everyone would choose to learn nothing and want to move on and that we would be accused of not moving on.
6. Knowing that the only thing worse than being shamed was to be a coward
7. I also suspect most of us simply could not pretend that nobody else was pretending
I often wonder what separated folks who saw through the nonsense. That's my best guess. Feel free to correct me.
And you know what? What wonderful qualities We The People have here. It always comes down to the few to fight tyranny.
Best explanation I've seen yet as to why those of us who stood up to Covid tyranny did so. Your first reason caught my attention! I kept telling my husband in 2020 that it was odd to be the only person out in public, man or woman, with balls! 🏀🏀
What great comments! Solid reasons, solid questions, that I think we all turned over in our heads throughout this latest psychotic episode, in an unfortunately long history of "man's" psychotic episodes.
If I had to pin only one reason why many people can be so baselessly motivated, it would be fear.
As I was always Unmasked (& the rest of Mark's great T-shirt!) I saw it in their eyes at the grocery stores when I would go against the ridiculously stupid arrows in the aisles, & I heard it in their "reasons" for blindly following the insanity.
Any dictator or tyrant worth his salt knows how to manipulate fear, & I'd say now that our Country, her institutions & Government, have more salt than they know what to with, but are relentlessly working to machinate new ways.
The question(s) of "Why us....what made us different enough that we recognized the insanity?" are elusive. (Sentinel Intelligence is one postulation, but why do WE have it, & so few others?) The excellent reasons given above by y'all on the how's & why's of our reactions, is a roadmap to who we have decided to be in this life....we are a very principled lot, to us, walking that talk is paramount, & rightly so.
Take heart & revel in the fact that we are who we are.....cause maybe G-d made us this way for a reason? 😉
I think GW would have associated with us....
"Associate yourself with men (AND WOMEN! :-) of good quality, if you esteem your own reputation, for 'tis better to be alone than in poor company."
George Washington
1st President of the FREEDOM Loving United States of America
Good list.
What I couldn't fathom was how other people around couldn't see what unholy damage the lockdowns would do... for starts. It was obvious to me that the lockdowns were not only counter-productive, they were a horrific human rights abuse that would never be forgotten-- at least not in my lifetime, and I plan to live for a long while.
Also, what I still find exceedingly strange is how most people seem to have so few questions. Most seem to have none, actually.
Empathy is there, but I now see how shallow it is, and apt to suddenly evaporate.
When it comes to human nature, I wasn't born yesterday; all the same, I got quite an education from 2020-present.
Well said TB & MO!!!
You have distilled my own attitudes very succinctly.
Many have said that I have the patience of Job, but now, I refuse to suffer fools, & these last few years have exposed the latent "fool" in far too many.
"And if you don't value someone's judgment, how can you trust or like them?" That sums up my thoughts about many I used to consider friends. I do ask myself if I should be more understanding but I just can't reach that point as it relates to what I saw as a total lack of reasoning about the events of the last four years.
The ACLU was pointed out to me in about 1957 as a communist organization, by my dear Mother, & she was correct. (My Mother was a Democrat.)
could not have said that better. Disgust is the word, and I too, cannot get over it.
As to voting - I won't. All candidates stood by the jabs even though before the 2020 election, many Dems seemed to despise them. Now I despise them.
You're not voting could help get Trump elected. And Trump, among other things, wants internment camps to house illegal immigrants on their way to being deported. And how difficult would it be after they are erected, to change their status to internment camps for US citizen 'dissidents' & anti-vaxxers ? So I FEAR Trump and the greater evil he's capable of. And where does that lead ? A vote for Harris-Walz.
Internment camps in the US.
Now.
They are in NY, near New Paltz, NY, upstate NY near Syracuse, NY, using empty malls and empty SUNY buildings.
Built during the current administration.
Are they active ?
The Coronamania refrain of "Stay Safe" drives me nutty. I always reply with Stay Free (credit Russell Brand I guess). I remember well our Bamm Bamm's pediatrician lamenting to me that it was a shame that Americans enjoyed so much freedom as to give them at least enough bodily autonomy to decline the poison mRNA and flu shot. Of course this was after my response to the Covid vaccinations question ("because I can read") forced her to actually need to exit the exam room for minutes to collect herself and return shaking in fear and maybe a little anger.
#freedomisessential
Stay safe.
Ugh. So dumb. These people don't know what unsafe is.
Hey Barney, please tell the rest of us in Bedrock, that you were able to quickly find Bamm Bamm another Doc that rejected the Plandemic et al, & grasps the true meaning of the Hippocratic Oath?
I wish I could tell you that but I cannot. I'm not sure there are many around. And Bamm Bamm #2 will not be seeing a pediatrician for much longer. we had a long discussion about that exchange with the doctor on the way home from that visit explaining the Dr - Parent - Bamm Bamm hierarchy of our home.
My daughter, who, like me, woke up to the toxicity of ALL jabs in light of the obvious toxicity of the COVID jab, searched long and hard for a pediatrician who shared her values. She finally found one, though he is an hour away and across a state line from her. But since she lives in a blue state that views lack of regular kid checkups as child abuse, the distance is well worth it to her.
STAY STRONG
My question was, why isn't the admonition to stay healthy, instead?
One thing I'm sure of is that if the empty-headed bimbo is elected, tyranny is assured.
At least with Orange Man we still have the possibility of defying the carbon hating globalists their new world order.
At least with GOP, we have the hope of the hope of the former Vance.
Trump, Repent and Unrape My Party
With government in control, you have surrendered all hope of true freedom.
I have been pondering how much better Europe was when it were all separate countries. The benefits of no passport needed do not weigh up to the disaster Europe is now. I wonder how the States would fare, if we went back to 50 separate states. I think that big-bigger-biggest is totally wrong. If you have small local communities, you know everyone around you and your mayor etc. but when things grow bigger, you don't know anyone anymore. NO idea where to turn in need. Not even a voice on the phone, as it is all computerized. It would also be much easier to move to the next village or town if you don't like what you see. (unless in New-Guinea where you might be considered the next meal if you do)
Too true, but it is all we have to work with at the moment.
I would have patriots think about just how many things governments provide that they could live without.
So far, I have not used all my fingers.
On one hand.
Selected and installed.
There's always Russia (for defying the deep state), graveyard of tyrants..
Mark, I don't know how you do it. Every Thursday post tops the last one. Thank you for the glimpse of young Mark, it helps explain your evolution into a leader of the Freedom Fighters today. And, thanks to you, I believe those of us who have found your Substack here are now better equipped to fight the next round of baloney they'll try to force down our throats.
Every week, I wonder what to write about. I often sit quietly and something occurs to me. I've lived long enough to have done and seen a lot of stuff. People tell me I have a good memory. I don't know when I'll run out of ideas. Maybe next week.
Though, b/c this Coronamanic nightmare continues, sometimes recent experiences provide a theme.
It's so great to read how you've lived life to the fullest. Carpe Diem! Although I was also quite adventurous, women do not have the same luxury as you were able to achieve. Not complaining, just stating fact.
True that women can't hitch-hike.
But women have better hair.
AW you have not seen my porcupine style LOL. My hair dresser wonders every time how he is going to get it down.
I thought the exact same thing ICI, about half- way through Mark's recounting of his adventures. I feel the same way you do. It's just a fact of nature. I also thought of this truism: the only thing standing in the way of bad men who would harm women are good men willing to fight.
Momo was my daughter’s childhood nickname!
So nice to hear. Thank you!
Mark. I think it’s Divine Inspiration. Somehow you always write about topics that interest us and make us think. The past 4 years have convinced me we're in a fight of good vs. evil. The S.O.B.'s in government, big pharma and the media have shown us their playbook and I've learned from that. I've bonded with like-minded "Freedom Fighters" in my own community, and online in forums such as this. This morning, after I read your post, a YouTube channel I follow had a new video on how to deal with bullies. This creator is a prepper and martial arts teacher. I thought - what great timing. What stood out in this video was find something to agree on. Get the bully (vaxxing - masking Karen, for example) to side with me on something, however small. That helps diffuse the situation, dissipate their anger a bit. Focus on the real problem, not what the "authorities" have thrown out to divide Karen and me. You are planting seeds. Your gardening skills are still paying off in ways you couldn’t have imagined 5 years ago.
Thanks, Swimming.
It's been an extremely frustrating time. I've survived mentally/emotionally by compartmentalizing. But doing so seems phony sometimes.
you had a very adventurous life to fall back on! compared to yours I have lived in a cave all my life LOL. Stories from a cave. HM LOL
Again, that was a perfect description of the dystopian drama that the government/media/medical and university establishment inflicted on the American public during the scamdemic. However, the dystopian drama from the legacy media continues to this day in preparation for the election. It seems that legacy media is totally unrepentant and delusional name calling and reporting the other side as nazis dangers continues. Seems to me that the legacy media has been and continues to be pure propaganda to convince the gullible people of the US to their bidding. I knew it was bad before the scamdemic but I just never realized that it was as bad as it is. Legacy media is total propaganda and BS.
Just watching a few videos from Australia, I continue to be astounded at your legacy media and the way they report.
Ours lies and obfuscates , but at least the talking heads make an attempt to look and sound professional.
Some of the presenters that you have there are openly, completely unhinged. I can’t believe some of the things they say.
I seldom watch it. They lost me a long time ago.
Ditto here Mark. Sometimes I flick it on just to see what the latest lies are.
Yes, it seems that someone in the media or even congress is always saying that the people associated with the republican party are just a bunch of bigoted racist nazis (Trump and RFK Jr.) or Putin spies (Tulsi Gabbard). The accusations are beyond ridiculous. Yet, many of my liberal friends and even relatives absolutely believe that tripe. Their media is subjecting them to the same intense brainwashing during the election that everyone around the world was subjected to during the scamdemic. None of what the media says makes sense. None of it coincides with their life experiences. Yet, they absolutely believe the lies because they say it on TV.
Mark,
Another great article....THANKS!
Back in the day, I used to pick up hitchhikers, & also gave a few of them "shelter from the storm". But most of them were like you....just out exploring our great Country, or they were on a mission to get somewhere for some experience or other. Unfortunately, I don't seem to see that attribute in the HHs I see now, which I note with sadness, as I see it as a reflection of our current society's dysfunction.
Lesser of 2 evils? As a Constitutional Conservative who knows the difference between our Constitutional Republic, & why "true" Democracy is just the Tyranny of the Majority, I hold no allegiance to any Party, but have consistently voted Red since 2004. However, I do hold to the saying that the Republicans are the Party of the Stupid, & the Democrats are the Party of the Evil.
I will enthusiastically cast my vote for
Trump, but am not a "Trumptard". Trump, like all of us, has his "warts" - he's egotistical, seems to constantly suffer from "Foot in Mouth" disease, has sometimes put great trust & power in the hands of the wrong people, made disastrous decisions (ie Warp Speed) during the early lart of the Dempanic Plandemic (did you catch Scarf Lady Birx on video discussing how she & her team purposely misled Trump & lied about following his orders, at almost every turn?) & of course, he has "mean tweets", among his other warts.
However, because he is not a politician, & under his Presidency (despite the entrenched RINOS in his own Party undermining him in the Legislature), he was Making America Great Again, & I saw no evil then in the Orange Man Bad, nor do I see it today. I do see a love of Country, & of her people......as long as one ignores the innuendo of the MSM & the Party of the Evil.
We currently, literally & figuratively have a PINO in the White House that falls while going up stairs, while Trump, after being hit in the ear by a would be assassins bullet, gets out from under the Secret Service (well, some were Homeland Security) & back up on his feet with Agents still hanging onto him, as he pumps his fist in the air, & yells "Fight, Fight, Fight!!" , to his crowd of stunned but un-panicked We the People!
Yes, that is the type of real man I want to be #47 in 2024, & I hope JD shows well enough that he might be our choice in 2028!
Thanks, Elliott.
I think younger people have more money now than I did at that age, that they've been more sheltered and that the culture of HH'ing died several decades ago. It's seen as creepy now and I think police would oust people who tried it.
People like a screen-mediated life. You and I grew up without cell phones and computers.
Trump is far better than the execrable Harris. but I can't forget how he caved to the CV bureaucrats and spent all that money subsidizing the states, cities, and businesses and workers, enabling them to lock down.
Don't agree about Trump Mark. And it's either him or Harris.
She's the worst. So phony and unsmart.
Hi Mark…I don’t like Trump because of the vaccine..but cannot stand Harris either…and she is really the worst!!!!
Also < https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/senate-russia-report-proves-trump-was-wrong-meuller-was-right-ncna1237743 >
Trump wants internment camps for illegal immigrants as they are deported. And afterwards ? Might those camps be used to house anti-vaxxers and dissidents afterwards ? Trump is very shifty, a criminal many times over, and a sell out to whoever has the cash. He is just so bad news. I can't believe that anyone would support him. Harris ? Who cares. Her biggest plus is that she's not Trump. I guess we'll have to agree to disagree here Mark.
Dude. It's real simple.
You're either voting for totalitarianism or not totalitarianism.
History is your guide here.
Sorry Ryan... you've got it wrong. Inverted Totalitarianism is here now and has been well established over a long period of time. Certainly encompassing the last Trump presidency and longer. It's solidly in place and there's nothing Trump, or anybody, could do about it. THEY rule. The President is a figurehead. So the real deal is what do you want ? A lying con-man Grifter asshole or a standard politician. When I voted for Biden, I knew that I was choosing a 'standard politician'.
Richie, do you realize now, after these last 4 years, how wrong you are to think 4 years of Biden was better than 4 years of Trump? Of course I know you don't, and I'm astounded by that, just as I was always astounded by the high number of people who just couldn't see through the many Covid lies.
And the "mean tweets" are a feature, not a bug.
CINO (Catholic in Name Only) grifting groper.
Vance seems a control mechanism to undermine T45 when the time comes, but let's hope I'm wrong about that, and he's not as evil as Pence, who sold out the country for pence.
I remember when Kamala Harris was an anti-vaxxer, back when it was Trump's vaccine, before Biden became president. I remember when RFK Jr told the truth about the DOD, before he wanted a role in a Trump administration. Everyone thought he was against vaccines because of his work with CHD, but actually he sees nothing wrong with mandating them, as long as they've been tested, whatever that means, but there goes personal autonomy. Labels and politics are meaningless these days. No politician is coming to save us.
“When plunder becomes a way of life for a group of men in a society, over the course of time they create for themselves a legal system that authorizes it and a moral code that glorifies it.”
Frédéric Bastiat
True freedom is granted to oneself by oneself. And not by any government or self proclaimed authority that has little reason to exist in the first place.
"When injustice becomes law, resistance becomes duty." As I said earlier, a great line. With a bit of investigation, I see now it's often attributed to Thomas Jefferson, although they have not found a direct quote by him. Though, the concept is thoroughly embedded in The Declaration of Independence.
Incredible breadth and depth covered here Mark.
Thanks, Steve.
I think it was too long for many but I couldn't see a shorter way to express these ideas.
I was inclined to praise your ECONOMY of words. Don't ever sell yourself short. You are a prize.
I'm always left wanting to read more! Short or long, you're never boring!
Seems sad people don't hitchhike anymore. I never did, always had wheels. But my wife, who is super hot and always has been (which makes it seem riskier), "thumbed" all the time with no problems until she was 22. Often late at night. Finally had a major scare and got rescued by some extreme good luck, and never did it again. Things are a lot different today, mostly not in a good way.
I wish things were different and we had more societal trust. I drive a big 12-seater van and wish I could pick up those walking or even waiting for a bus, but alas, it's not a good idea nowadays.
It does take mutual trust.
Hard to think that some people who picked me up might have feared a virus.
Maybe none of them did.
I enjoyed your article for several reasons. First, because I always like your writing style and how you take a past experience and weave it into today’s events. Secondly, because I grew up in WV and lived there my whole life until 9 years ago moved to TX. I can imagine some crazy redneck driving like that to show off. The young girl who ‘locked’ ( liked ) you, tells me you must have been in the far southern portion. I visited friends from Mingo-Williamson-Logan county area and could hardly understand what they were saying.🤣 Thirdly, when I think about the Covid scam, I know I will never understand the gullibility of so many people to go along, then turn on those who didn’t fall for the fear mongering. Like you, I lost a couple of ‘best friends’ but consider it a blessing. I don’t need stupid people in my life that are so afraid to see how they were scammed. As always, thanks Mark for another great article.
Thanks, Ruth.
I've been to WV three times. I very much liked the natives there. Even the ones that messed with me. Hey, at least I got to my destination quickly.
Yes, the gullibility has been astounding. Painful.
But as you say, time to move on.
Bravo, Mark! I enjoyed this. One of your best!
Thanks, ICI.
It's hard to know how a given post will be received. This one is not being very well-received.
I guess it's too long for most people's tastes. But I didn't see a way to make it shorter.
Read every word, wasn't hard at all. And I'm in a hurry to get to some things. And, I've taken to skimming or not even finishing most substacks these days. YMMV applies I guess.
Thanks, Steel, for staying on task.
It was easy!
Curious how many who have hitchhiked and slept on roadsides and the houses of strangers have also rejected the CovidConJob on humanity.
We've had many similar adventures though thankfully I didn't get thrown around by good ole boys in the back of a truck, though something similar to that in the back of a TransAm or a Camaro.
People who pick up strangers are not as fearful as the general public. I would expect that many who gave me rides were non-vaxxers.
I wondered how those who helped you reacted to the scamdemic as I was reading. My guess was more favorably that average. But many all-in, no doubt.
What grade did Steinkamp give you? 😉
One of the best teachers I ever had...
A++.
LOL.
I don't remember what grade Steinkamp gave me. But I've had many experiences since HS and write better now than then, having been taught some methods and getting plenty of practice during my law years.
I liked Steinkamp then--he was a little bit "out there--" and I'd probably like him more now. It must be hard for adults to respect 16-year olds' ideas. I worked with college students for ten years and so many of them are very gullible and closed-minded. Very little critical-thinking or life challenges. They all agree with each other, just to be "nice."
I remember many things Steinkamp and other schoolteachers, college and law school profs said.
Two from Steinkamp: "It's generally recognized that HS is a microcosm of life."
"A compromise makes a good umbrella but a poor roof." ( Quoting Lincoln, I think).
I wish I had that wisdom from a high school teacher! Maybe knowing early on that "high school is a microcosm for life" would have made me a little more skeptical and less naive from the outset! I was a straight A student who refused to use hall passes and often skipped school to take bus rides into New York City in order to take a la carte ballet classes. I thought once I got out of high school, my closed, petty world would open up and be free and rational. What a disappointment to find out it did not and I still had to skirt the "rules." Thank God I became a stay at home mom fairly young and could live by my own rules. (And God bless my husband for sacrificing for all of us and being the rebel he is, too.)
Hah! I had the same question, but also wanted to know which way the whole class "leaned", at that time, waaaayyyyy back in the last Century, & if the teacher carried on a discussion with the students about the results, without interjecting his own personal bias into the discussion!😁
ML
How lucky you were Mark, to have had a teacher who asked such questions of his students.
I remember stuff pretty well.
I wasn't the hardest worker in HS. But I paid attention. People ask me how I learned Spanish. I tell them that I took three years and stayed focused during class. Most other kids took the same amount but saw language learning as a chore and didn't apply themselves.
Def true that kids back in the day weren't so indoctrinated or politically partisan. It's sad and socially damaging.