Day 275: Balmy, for December

It’s Day 275 of 15 Days to Flatten the Curve and Day 35 of Ohio’s 21-day WuFlu Curfew.

And today is Deb’s birthday. How did we celebrate?

At Squeek’s Bar and Grill, of course, with dinner and drinks. It was amazing to see the place a-hoppin’ tonight — a bunch of the regulars were there, along with the proprietor and almost all of our favorite bartenders. Deb captured the vibe perfectly when she said,

“It’s great to see our friends.”

There was warm conversation and a lot of catching-up. Hugs happened, too, ’cause that’s who we are — we’re Family, dammit, and it sure was good to be Home.

Earlier we took full advantage of pleasant weather — 50s, breezy, bright sunshine — by bouncing between the work-in-progress Ernie and the winterized-and-covered Bumper Bunker. Everything will freeze solid by Friday, so we pulled our Escape Gear out of the trailer, transferring most of it to the bus, staging some items temporarily in the garage and returning the rest to the house.

That was a significant step to take. I find it hard to explain exactly why, but some of you will understand. It’s a commitment thing.

So-called “tiny houses” are all the rage these days, especially with folks wanting to shed life’s accumulated trappings and simplify. An RV, whether a trailer or a motorhome, essentially is a tiny house that moves, requiring that we keep things compact and efficient.

Obviously, limited storage is a consideration. Most units are designed with clever crannies and compartments, but since more is better we’re always looking for creative solutions. We’ve chosen to add a pair of inexpensive ottomans to Ernie’s “living room” space — leatherette-covered cubes with tops that come off for access to storage within.

One of the cubes already has been allocated to a full-size Instant Pot. As a multi-purpose kitchen appliance it’s perfect for the tiny-house mindset, but it wouldn’t fit into any of Ernie’s cabinets. A storage ottoman solved that problem.

When the slides are pulled in and the living area shrinks, both ottomans tuck tidily under the dinette table. Oh, and there’s one more bonus — flipping the upholstered lids turns them from footrests into small tables. That feature will come in handy, I think, for general lounging or when company comes calling.

I took some time late this morning to open all of Ernie’s basement compartments and take measurements — lots of measurements. There’s plenty of storage down below, for sure, but I want to make the best possible use of it and organize it sensibly. Now, with dimensions in-hand, during the upcoming Big Freeze I’ll be able to make progress toward putting the space in order.

Plastic totes will be involved. Probably milk crates, too.

Organizing — it’s what I do.

There now appear to be three guarantees in this life. Joining death and taxes is the certainty that four years of a Daffy-Chuckles administration has the potential to devastate America. Take this line, which Daffy “One-Horse Pony” McHairsniffer delivered in a rare address on the WuFlu “crisis”:

“Our darkest days… are ahead of us, not behind us.”

Practically speaking, in every way that matters, that’s shamefully false. It’s more than pessimistic — it’s purposefully alarmist, intended to inflame irrational fear.

Here’s another example of the same tactic, this from a lab-coated “public health” bureaucrat on the Left Coast:

“By the time you get a negative test result, you may no longer be negative.”

For cryin’ out loud, do you see what’s happening here?

Let’s review.

The State, at all levels, abuses lawful authority to amass unlawful power. That power is the means to its ultimate goal — control. The most effective tools for establishing control are fear and uncertainty. The State created this “public health crisis,” and continues to perpetuate it, to fuel the ultimate fear-control cycle.

The antidote to this toxin is knowledge, administered with critical thought and Reason. And what does recovery look like?

Liberty.

If you’re ignorant, it’s easy to be afraid. When you’re afraid, you’re not free. And unless you’re free, you can’t be a citizen — you’re merely a subject. You’ve relinquished control of your American Life to the State.

Don’t do that.

Start with the fundamental constitutional principle that the State exists not to serve illusory aspirations such as safety, prosperity or “public health,” but to protect and defend individual Liberty. Wade confidently into a personal quest for facts, from a variety of sources, and shun propaganda. Think critically, challenge information with Reason and transform facts into knowledge.

Choose. Act.

When we apply that discipline to the State-manufactured “pandemic” and the fear it seeks to inspire, we unequivocally call bullshit. We stand on individual Liberty. We act in our own interest.

We will not fall prey to fear. We will not behave as obedient subjects.

We will not comply.

And now a word about Trump, whose presidency I’m proud to support. I voted for him in 2016 and again this year, and I’d vote for him again given the opportunity. From the facts I’ve been able to gather, and guided by a country boy’s common sense, I believe that the 2020 presidential election was riddled with corruption that affected the outcome.

With that on the table, then, I still can’t help but cringe at every single one of his social-media posts these days — like this from a day ago:

“THE DEMOCRATS DUMPED HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF BALLOTS IN THE SWING STATES LATE IN THE EVENING. IT WAS A RIGGED ELECTION!!!”

My response is pretty simple: Don’t tell me, Mr. President — tell it to a judge.

We’re way past the public-opinion phase, People. Trump gains nothing useful at this point by blaring daily IN ALL CAPS to his base on Twitter and Facebook.

My opinion doesn’t change anything. Rallies and memes don’t change anything. This wrong can be righted only in the courts.

The same intellectual honesty telling me that the election was fixed also has me suspecting that Trump’s legal team doesn’t have enough compelling evidence to convince a court of that. And although that sucks — to put it mildly, considering that it hands The Oval Office to an anti-American administration that was awarded millions of fraudulent votes — campaigning incessantly on social media isn’t the way to overcome that deficiency.

I’ve heard that Trump supporters in Congress may try one more maneuver, when the legislature meets in joint session on January 6th to certify the Electoral College. Without getting into the procedural weeds here, contesting the presumptive result at that point is the very definition of “Hail Mary.”

It won’t work.

No matter how many Americans agree with Trump, and despite hope and prayers, sorry, but it won’t work.

Again, yes, that totally sucks. Such is the price of living in a constitutional republic governed by laws, adjudicated with due process under rules of evidence.

Now, let’s be about the necessary work of preserving America for our children.

Take care of yourselves, Patriots. Stay free.

#WiseUp #LibertyOrDeath