• Blackmail is a nasty thing. It is about exposing secrets. If you don’t give me what I want, I will expose your dirty little secret.

    When you look at American traitors, spying for our advisories, you find that most, if not all of them, were bought off for dirt cheap.

    What would happen is that the traitor would decide they needed something, generally money. They then tried to sell the information they had. They were offered very little for the information. Then they were blackmailed for having sold the information.

    Blackmail is normally about hiding dirty little secrets.

    Back when I had a security clearance, they were concerned about several things. Can you keep your mouth shut? Can you be blackmailed? Can you be bought?

    When I was in debt, I explained that I was in debt and that my country was worth more to me than money ever could be. I showed that I had been paying my debt down and that I was not hurting financially. For that level of clearance, that was enough.

    At another time, there was a personal issue. I went to my boss and told him the personal issue. I told my parents. When security asked about the personal issue, I could easily show that I couldn’t be blackmailed by it because I had told my boss, my parents, and them.

    The gist of this is that if you can’t be embarrassed by your actions, you can’t be blackmailed by a dirty little secret.

    History

    My first wife was an expert in emotional blackmail. When we got married, I was informed that she had had her cat for longer than she had known me and that I would go before she would let go of the cat.

    In other words, a cat was more important to her than the person she had just sworn to love.

    I am allergic to most fur bearing critters. Cats in particular. My allergies started off bad, they are impossible now. Because we lived with a cat.

    The most common refrain that still echos through my head was, “If you don’t do X, I’m going to leave.”

    It was used over and over, again.

    One night, I spent a long time talking to my father at a bar. This was unusual because mom was the emotional rock, not dad. Plus, we had never done it before, we didn’t do it again after.

    I left that conversation and returned to the hotel room where my wife and kids were. I was more relaxed than I had been in years. I had come to the decision that I wasn’t going to be emotionally blackmailed anymore.

    When we returned home, it was just about like normal. Until the day she said, “If you don’t do X, I’m going to leave.”

    My reply rocked her to her soul and a bit further, “Ok, there’s the door.”

    Our life became more of a partnership until her abuse became too much and I left.

    Just what is “emotional blackmail”

    It is anytime you attempt to control somebody with threats that engender strong emotional responses.

    The person who is threatening to commit suicide is using emotional suicide. The person who withholds love unless you do your chores. The person who threatens to leave you if you don’t give them money.

    All of these are emotional blackmail.

    Peer pressure is a type of emotional blackmail. When you feel like you will be ostracized if you don’t go along with your peers.

    Having that feeling of belonging is incredibly powerful. Loosing it is even more powerful.

    This is how you get teenagers to submit to being “jumped in”. Being jumped in for males is generally allowing other peer members beat the shit out of you. For women, it is often submitting to being gang raped.

    That desire for membership in a peer group, or gang, can be that strong.

    The Left and Emotional Blackmail

    We are seeing large numbers of leftists resorting to emotional blackmail.

    • You are dead to me if you voted for Trump.
    • The 4Bs. No sex with men, no children, no dating men, no marriage with men
    • Withholding sex until Trump is out of office
    • Divorce or threats of divorce
    • Excommunicating people from the peer group.
    • Dissolving friendships
    • Blue “friendship” bracelet. If you don’t have it, you aren’t a friend.

    Conclusion

    The only way to deal with emotional blackmail is a strong “fuck off, I don’t care.” Yes, that might cost some friends. They might come to their sense later. For now, don’t let them blackmail you.

            

  • Light is a topic that’s come up a few times in my prepper discussions, and so I thought it deserved its own article. Light is defined as “…something that makes vision possible.” (Merriam Webster) We call the light part of our day, aptly enough, daytime. We can see to study, to teach, to learn, and to do. For hundreds and thousands of years, light has been of immense importance to human beings.

    The first light was, of course, the sun. Light happened during the day, and night was when you huddled together and tried not to get eaten. The purposeful use of fire is the second light. Fire allowed us to do things in the dark. It kept predators at bay. It warmed our bodies, our food, and even our souls. Once fire was harnessed, it was more a matter of what method to invent to keep the light on at night, safely and effectively.

    Some of the earliest lanterns were Canaanite oil lamps. These were basically pinch pots, or rather, a shallow bowl with a pinched spout at one end for holding a wick. These open candles go back farther than our written history. I can say with authority that they do work, too, having both made and used some myself. From a prepping standpoint, open candles can be made out of just about anything. A wick in a bowl works, especially if you can float the wick somehow. Consider an old cork with a hole in it to hold a wick, floating on an oil source.

    Fuel oil in early times came from animal fat, or from nut oils. Tallow candles were used as early as 500 BCE, in Rome. They continued to be used until modern paraffin became easily available. Paraffin wax was quickly adopted, because it had almost no smell at all. Candles made from tallow or other animal fats were quite stinky.

    (more…)

            

  • Nerd Stuff

    Had all the parts in hand. I opened up the case. Proceed to install the new NIC, another hard drive. Realize I need to go fetch a SATA cable. Go to plug in the power to the drive… Who the heck only puts one SATA power connector in a modern computer power supply!

    ARGH.

    The drive is still in the box, the correct adapters will be here shortly, and I will power up that drive and add it to the cluster.

    Bloggers stepping over the line

    Thursday, Allyson was shown a post by her BFF. The gist was, “if you voted for Trump, you are dead to me.” It wasn’t directed at Allyson, but Allyson was part of the target group.

    Emotions are running high. For me, it is a joy and lightness I have not felt in years. I have taken delight in poking the leftists that have been melting down.

    I have lived with the knowledge that the left will vandalize my property if I show support for the Republican Party. I’ve kept my mouth shut and just kept on keeping on.

    Allyson has been on the left for so long, she didn’t believe my fears of being attacked for not toeing the Democrat party line.

    Yesterday, she learned in a very personal way. And it hurt.

    She wants compassion from the left. She wants them to be the good people she knew them to be. To have people she loved, and respected become unhinged broke her.

    She will be posting. She has asked me to moderate her replies.

    She broke the rule. She was a dick. She made person, if veiled, attacks on individuals. This will not and is not tolerated.

    I’m sorry that it got to this point.

    The Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy Dance

    There are two Supreme Court Justices that have expressed an interest in leaving the court. Another is thinking about it. A fourth is in bad health.

    Our guys will not Ruth it up. They will retire after the Snope opinion issues. That is my opinion. I think we might see another of our people retire.

    It would be horrible if illness forced the last Justice to leave the court, but it would move another seat back to the constitution.

    If this happens, we will have a majority of originalists on the Supreme court for the next 30 years, or more.

    Trifecta

    Not yet. We have the Senate. This allows us to put more constitutional originalists in the inferior courts. This is great. It means we can confirm Supreme Court nominees over the objections of the Democrats.

    We have the Presidency. Even if they were to succeed in assassinating Trump, at this point, JD will become the president. He would become President four years earlier than I expect. Not particularly concerned — now. Monday, it was an issue.

    We do not, yet, control the house. As of 2000, Thursday, we had 210 seats in the House. There are 27 seats still to be called. Some races are very close. We need 218.

    Keep your fingers crossed.

    Friends and Family

    I lost my Mother and my Father this year. They passed. I lost my brother when he exposed his evil side. I hope I gained family in The Cousins.

    My parents were Republicans until they drifted in to the propaganda of CNN. I never felt that I would be disowned for still being conservative when they no longer were.

    Many of us have had to deal with friends and family that cannot tolerate those on the right. They have removed us from their lives.

    If you have had an experience where a friend or family member who has expressed that you are still loved or still a friend, regardless of your politics, please share those positive stories.

    I really need some positive stories about people on the left.

    Please have a great weekend

            

  • BLUF: Be compassionate. Yes, even if it hurts. Yes, even if they’re assholes and dickwads. I want to know that I picked the right side. I want to know that this is the side that isn’t lying to me.

    Right, we have a new President Elect. Trump defied the odds, and he took it all. He is the President Elect. He won us the Senate. And it looks like he won us the House. I’m sure most of us have been celebrating in some fashion or another for the past couple of days. And now it’s time to buckle down.

    The Right have decried the Left for having majorities and doing nothing with them. We have the majority across the board for the next while, and we NEED to be doing stuff with it. We need to enact those campaign promises. Better economy, getting dangerous criminal aliens out of the country, lower grocery costs, better housing market, and the list goes on. This isn’t going to happen overnight, but Trump must put himself to work immediately and start getting things done.

    The Left is so aflutter with terror right now that there might actually be a teaching moment, if the Right can keep things together. For the next few weeks, between election results and inauguration, the Left expects to be treated like dirt. We can’t. We must act with compassion.

    (more…)

            

  • Willful incel stupid

    You would have voted for Kamala. But you are a stupid incel, so Trump is president-elect.

    racist

    It isn’t Democrat messaging that caused people to turn away from Kamala in droves, no, it was you were racist. Against the woman who can’t figure out if she black, brown, Indian, or something else.

    uneducated

    The uneducated population of America is holding the rest of the country hostage.

    You uneducated want to weaken education, ban books and outlaw teaching BLACK history.

    entrenched in tribal superstition, irrespective of all facts

    You wouldn’t have voted for Trump. Because your mortgage, grocery, fuel prices will go up under Trump.

    You need to understand just how wonderful the economy is right now.

    didn’t vote for a convicted felon

    Those 34 felony counts are real. For you to vote for a convicted felon is horrible.

    knew that Trump is coming for your Social Security and Medicare

    You wouldn’t have voted for him.

    white supremacist and full of toxic masculinity

    You would know that Kamala is right for America.

    able to recognize bullshit coming from Democrats

    The meltdown is incredible. My favorites have been the leftists claiming there was something fishy about this election because 15million votes have “disappeared”. There is no ability on the left to look at the numbers and think that 2020 was the outlier.

    Why did they lose? Not their fault. It is your fault they lost. If only YOU had.

    There is no introspection going on, only blame.

            

  •         

  • And… it’s over. Election season is done. Yesterday (or earlier) everyone cast their votes. Today, we have a new President elect.

    Of course, I’m writing this in advance. At the time of writing this, we’re still in the throes of early voting, and Election Day is still a bit away. I can’t say that I’ll be unhappy to see the election mess over with. I may change my mind about that by the time this is published, of course.

    Here are my prediction, made about a week before election. Take from it what you will.

    I think that Trump is going to get in. I’m afraid to hope for that, right now, but I just feel like that’s what’s about to happen. I can’t find a poll that I trust, so I really don’t know. Everyone I do trust is saying that this election is too close to call. Still, I’ve seen lots of Trump signs and a lot fewer Harris ones over the past few months. That must mean something… right?

    If Trump gets in, I believe we’re going to see the cities burn. I doubt that the mayhem will erupt into rural areas, if only because rural folk don’t put up with that crap. I think that the cities will be hugely damaged by rioters of the Left. I expect there to be some loss of life in the days to come. I am sure that a number of people will play stupid games and win stupid prizes, and we’ll hear all about it on the news.

    If Harris gets in, there are likely to be challenges over voter fraud. I am going to assume that if Harris gets in, even by a slim margin, all the challenges will be dismissed. I have some major concerns about a Harris presidency. She and her group have spent a lot of time calling the Right Nazis and racists, and that means they themselves are likely those things. We tend to accuse others of doing the things we don’t want to admit we’re doing ourselves. I’m concerned she’ll actually attempt to round up Trump followers and reeducate them.

    I’d like to say that I don’t believe things will be All That Bad, but I suspect no matter who’s in office, it’s going to be bad. Trump, for better or worse, has become the face of divisiveness in politics. I know that’s 99% to do with the Left media distorting things, but it is what it is. It’s why I wanted to see Nikki Haley or Ted Cruz up there rather than Trump. But this is where we are.

    (more…)

            

  • The last four years have been a shitshow. On the first day of Harris’s term as VP, Joe started signing executive orders to undo what Trump had accomplished.

    Since that day, I’ve heard nothing but hate from the left with lies, more lies, and still more lies.

    This article will be updated after we know the results.

    Trump Wins

    Keep your head on a swivel. Stay out of the cities, if you can. Stay away from stupid people doing stupid things at stupid times of the day. Hell, stay away from stupid people doing stupid things.

    I expect the cities to start burning at any moment. The left is known to be very joyful as they burn down our cities and tear apart our country.

    Please keep your Democrat neighbors in your prayers. They are hurting right now. Only laugh and dance in private. They need time to grieve.

    Harris Wins (God, I hope this isn’t true)

    Kamala has told us that she would not have done a single thing differently. It is going to hurt. Pray for the justices of the Supreme Court that hold our Constitution dear and treat it with respect.

    Keep your eyes on a swivel. The left is known for being joyful in their destruction. They might decide to joyfully stomp those who disagree with them.

    Remember, we will survive this.

    Conclusion

    This was writing at 2100 East Coast time. The first returns are coming in, and it looks good for Trump so far. The problem is that we haven’t heard from any of the battleground states.

    I remember when Florida was in play as a battleground state, after they cleaned up their voting methods to reduce the chances of fraud, it seems to have gone strong Red. Correlation is not causation.

            

  • From the north to the south, from the east to the west, we all need to vote.

    North

    South

    FELLOW CITIZENS: I am very greatly rejoiced to find that an occasion has occurred so pleasurable that the people cannot restrain themselves. [Cheers.] I suppose that arrangements are being made for some sort of a formal demonstration, this, or perhaps, to-morrow night. [Cries of `We can’t wait,’ `We want it now,’ &c.] If there should be such a demonstration, I, of course, will be called upon to respond, and I shall have nothing to say if you dribble it all out of me before. [Laughter and applause.] I see you have a band of music with you. [Voices, `We have two or three.’] I propose closing up this interview by the band performing a particular tune which I will name. Before this is done, however, I wish to mention one or two little circumstances connected with it. I have always thought “Dixie” one of the best tunes I have ever heard. Our adversaries over the way attempted to appropriate it, but I insisted yesterday that we fairly captured it. [Applause.] I presented the question to the Attorney General, and he gave it as his legal opinion that it is our lawful prize. [Laughter and applause.] I now request the band to favor me with its performance.
    —Christian McWhirter, “One of the Best Tunes I Have Ever Heard.”, Civil War Pop (Apr. 10, 2015) – Abraham Lincoln

    East

    West

            
  • @vine.of.liberty I know I got cut off at the end. Go vote, that’s it. Wake up Wednesday and do your normal things. Do not let fear be your master. #vote #vineofliberty #politics #peaceful ♬ original sound – The Vine of Liberty

    Look, you may not agree with some of the things I say, or value my opinions, but by all that’s holy, go vote. Everyone: left, right, centrist, whatever. VOTE. Not because the country is divided, but because it is your God given right to vote, and because it is your responsibility to vote. Make an educated choice, after listening to unbiased media, and/or listening to both (or all) sides involved. But vote!!!