I have heard about land being volunteered for use in Texas as a political stunt, have not seen anything about land being purchased for that purpose.

Excellent response.

I’m trying to limit myself to watching for actual threats to my family. Basically a couple of things. Watching for the same stuff that tipped us off on COVID and watching for camps actually being setup on US soil.

Trying to ignore all the ragebait and most of the news. I think I see manipulation similar to what I saw on the first trump election now targeted left. So, pants on head crazy.

Heads down and try to only pay attention to the important stuff.

Yeah, dogs have much stronger sense of self, however. They feel insult, shame, sadness, guilt, and unfairness. I think cats view the laughter as more of aggression/dominance thing than the emotions humans or dogs would map to.

I have a cat that can call birds. We had a gap under the garage door, and she called sparrows in under the door before I adjusted the hang. She murder-a-lized them all over the house.

Had another, even more sadistic, cat that was very aggressive towards other people. I always had to warn guests not to believe her and not to pet her or they would get cut. She would call people to her and let a little petting happen before ripping a finger or arm. Same cat enjoyed scaring children, one time she jumped through the air and barked in a child’s face just to watch the fun. She had to be put down, I was the only person that was safe around her.

They use these instincts on us to get what they want. They often want petting, treats, or attention so we don’t notice.

This applies to cats of average or above intelligence. There are a few dumb cats that have about as much awareness as a tater.

I’ve never had a shelter or bred cat. Instead, they just appear from the outside, get found in a parking lot, or sometimes materialize and no one knows where they came from. They get cleaned up and shots, chip, and fixed.

Some cats will get their prey/play drive mixed up and snap on you unexpectedly. Almost like they’re startled but it’s internal, they will often be ‘apologetic’ or confused afterwards. Some cats are worse about this than others and you shouldn’t wrestle or play rough with this kind using your hands, toys only.

And, yes. Cats are absolutely aware of the size and power differential. They’re always watching it at some level. Trust must be earned and often slowly built. Had one cat knock down a stack of pans and run behind me for protection. Some cats dislike being laughed at and it can cause aggression or cause retreat.

A cat’s love is transactional to a high degree, they’re lazy psychos that can learn friendship through trust. They love the comfort of you as much as they actually love you. They mimic affection and scheme a lot more than most people would like to think.

All cats are bad, it’s what makes them so great to have in your life.

If you’re ever up Huntsville way, check out Beaver Dam Swamp. It’s just off I-565, boardwalk out over a tupelo swamp. Absolutely beautiful, eerie.

Spent a lot of time squirrel hunting in the Wheeler Wildlife Refuge swamps. Found a spot where I could watch the whooping cranes.

See Cultural aspects on Wikipedia.

Your general feeling comes from what you know, and what you know is limited to your personal worldview.

See, that’s kind of condescending. I know that solstices and equinoxes are important and were recognized by prehistoric humans all over the world. This isn’t western vs eastern hegemony bullshit. Note that even the Chinese calendar is divisible by 4 and delineated by the solstices. I’ve also read about the solar observatories found in Mexico that predate European involvement as well as the wooden ‘henge’ of the mound builders.

Trying to act like recognition of solstices and equinoxes is some sort of Western cultural imposition is silly.

Wouldn’t solar observation pretty much universally divide the year into something divisible by four? Unless you’re directly on the equator, there are four points in a year and four points of direction (other than ‘right here’).

I haven’t read deeply about world calendars, but do know that the solstices are pretty much universally recognized.

Not a history or anthropology buff, but I have a general feeling that four pointed symbols are often tied to the solar year. You can build a solar calendar with a stick and rocks.

I’ve always kind of figured this was the actual origin of the swastika and why it was created independently by various cultures. The arms from the center are the solstices and equinoxes and the trailing arms from the elbows are the seasons that follow.

When you have shitty insurance and you’re working 60hrs a week to barely make ends meet. Then, you hurt your back or fuck up a joint.

You can’t stop working because you can barely afford to live. Workman’s comp is a joke and you’ll get fired if you try and get your job to pay for your work related injury.

However, there for a while, they were handing out oxycontin like it was candy. You can kill the pain and keep working. Until they won’t give you anymore pills. Then you buy pills from a buddy or a friend of a friend. They’re fake, the fentanyl in them hits different. Pain is still mostly killed. You can still keep working, keep food on the table for your kids.

But yeah, it’s a rich white people thing because of something in our food.

Unless you’ve been in it, you don’t understand the suffering built into the system. Lots of people that are suffering don’t have the time, energy, or resources to do anything but tread water to keep them or their family from drowning.

Which “This is Christmas”? Seeing one about a train and one about a broken family.

I might die if I couldn’t cuss while working. I’d just fucking explode.

I cuss during job interviews, both as the interviewer and applicant.

Hey, shalafi! I always like seeing your comments. We’ve talked before.

Managed to get my family moved out of the deep South. We’re in a purple state now. The MAGAts are going nuts around here. Like primates throwing shit but instead it’s red white and blue campaign signs.

How’s it going in your neck of the woods? The Qnuts come up with anything new lately? Seeing anything spooky?

Keep your head down and your powder dry, brother.

Removed by mod

Wow. You’ll totally win hearts and minds talking like that.

Southern Boy. Hmm. Where in the South?

Pipe smokers live, on average, longer than non smokers. May be socioeconomic, may be the relaxation.

Pipe smoke isn’t inhaled into the lungs.

I use an ecig for my nicotine addiction, and pipes for tobacco enjoyment. The occasional cigar as a guilty pleasure.

Anyhow, pipe smoking isn’t like the others. There is a learning curve.

Dang, you’re in about as good a place as you can be then.

I hope I’m just an alarmist old fart. If so, my family ends up with a better life anyhow.

For your old man’s sake, have a plan. Have a go-bag, include SS card and birth certificate. Try and keep your vehicle 3/4 full. Chances are, you will have time to run to a safe state on one of the coasts. Pre-plan two routes, one for back roads and the other for highways and interstates, print it out. If you can, keep a minimum of $500 on hand and more like $1-2k.

I strongly recommend a handgun, take it to the range and practice enough to be proficient loading and shooting at 7 yards. A single woman is usually welcomed at ranges. Just don’t talk politics and if anyone asks, you’ve got a bad ex-husband. The more straight you appear, the easier it will be.

Sorry for the unsolicited advice/novel. Stay safe.

I have a wife, daughter, and son. My daughter is queer. My son is a teen. There isn’t a future here for them. My daughter, especially, will be in danger.

I’ve had to cut all contact with my family.

We’ve been saving since 2020.

If it was just me, I’d stay.

I pass as a bearded white guy good ol boy. The shit I hear. These people aren’t coming back. Even if nothing happens with the next election, I don’t know how they rejoin reality.

I don’t know what happens to this country. I kind of hope there is a bloodless balkanization.

As best I can figure, the majority on the left are completely unaware of how dangerous things have gotten over the last few years. Unless you’re living in it, most people see it as histrionics.

We live in the deep south in what used to be an island of relative progressiveness. I have acquaintances that joined the three percenters, know former military spouting Q shit. Lost the only man I ever called brother to the insanity. Things have CHANGED in the last few years.

Our friend circle has shrunk and we no longer talk to our neighbors.

We’re moving to the northeast this summer. There’s a very real chance that it won’t be safe for us here much longer.

Like you, we’re armed and also realize that it likely won’t be enough.

History doesn’t repeat itself, but it sure does rhyme. The smart Jews with means got the fuck out of Germany before things popped off. We can’t afford to leave the country but hopefully we’ll land somewhere safer.

Hope nothing happens and all the worry has been for nothing. I really want to be wrong.