Memes that made me laugh 73

 

Gathered from hither and yon over the past week.  Click any image for a larger view.

More next week.

Peter

Sunday morning music

 

Here's something rather unusual to Western ears, but familiar to those who follow Central European and Asian folk music.

Polish singer and musician Karolina Cicha has been popular in that country and in Central Europe since 2009.  She started her own rock band, and later moved into the folk music scene.  In 2017 she collaborated with singer, composer and instrumentalist Bart Palyga to record their Tatar Album, described on her Web site as follows (translated from the Polish, which explains the slight errors in grammar and vocabulary):

A musical journey through the steppes, culture and history.

Karolina Cicha is one of Poland’s most accomplished and interesting vocalist, not least for the choice of music she performs. Her NINE LANGUAGES album (2013), with the brilliant multi-instrumentalist Bart Pałyga, was performed in the nine languages found in her native Podlasie region of north-east Poland. Two of thise were Tatar songs, and here she has recorded a whole album of them, with Bart Pałyga throat singing and playing steppe-derived instruments and percussion.

The tatars first came as invaders in the 14th century, but some were encouraged to settle as they were superb warriors, and there’s Muslim Tatar population there to this day and two historic wooden mosques close to the Lithuanian border east of Białystok. Nothing remains in Poland of the language and music, however, so Cicha has had to source songs from the Volga and Crimean Tatars, while the album ends with a new song in Polish telling their story. The music is full of horse rhythms, overtones and memories of steppe. It’s a significant step towards resurrecting a forgotten culture.

Karolina Cicha comments:  "My private Tatar trail in the Podlaskie Voivodship starts in the village of Tatary near the town of Tykocin, where my great grandmother came from. The village was Christianised several centuries ago, therefore a Tatar memory is not present there anymore, but they say there are still old Tatar graves in the ground. Then, using local roads, I would go to Sokółka to visit The Tatar Department at the local museum. After that I would head towards Tatar villages: Bohoniki and Kruszyniany with their wooden mosques and Tatar mizars (cemetery). On the way I would also visit old forgotten villages such as Malawicze Górne or Drahle, that were bestowed to Tatars by the King John III Sobieski as a soldier’s pay in 1679. The trail would end in my hometown of Białystok, where I would visit the Tatar collection at the Podlaskie Museum at Warszawska Street. Białystok is currently a centre of Tatar culture, there are several Tatar cultural organisations here: The Tatar Children and Youth Group “Buńczuk”, The Tatar Dance and Music Group ‘Buńczuk’ and The Polish Society of Horseback Archery. Białystok is also a seat of the Muslim Religious Union of Poland and the Muslim Culture Centre. There is an active Tatar community here, especially members of The Tatar Union of the Republic of Poland. Every year they organise several Tatar events, among which the Festival of Tatar Culture is worth seeing for sure."

Here's the complete Tatar Album from YouTube.  I'm not sure whether the order of the recording matches the online album playlist (which you can find on Amazon.com), or whether it's out of sequence.  You can't buy the album on Amazon, only listen to it, but if you like it, you can buy it through Cicha's Web site, as well as her other albums (prices in Euros, of course).

Interesting music, and easy listening.

Peter

Saturday Snippet: Smoking is bad for you - demonic edition

 

In Cape Town, South Africa (where I was born), there's a weather phenomenon known as "the tablecloth", when a bank of clouds gathers at the top of the world-famous Table Mountain and spills over its sides as if a cloth were being laid on a big table.  A local legend says that it's a reminder of a fabled Dutch pirate named Van Hunks, who entered a pipe-smoking contest with the devil and won, only to be snatched away to hell for his temerity in defeating the Father of Lies.  The part of the mountain where this is alleged to have happened is known as Devil's Peak.  You can read a brief version of the story here (complete with a photograph of the "tablecloth", and another here.

I grew up on such local folk tales, but didn't know at the time that the story of Van Hunks came from a poem by Victorian-era English author Dante Gabriel Rossetti.  Originally it had nothing to do with Cape Town or Table Mountain, but somehow it reached there and was transmuted by the residents into a local folk legend.  Nevertheless, the legend did retain something of the "morality play" of Rossetti's poem.

Since most people have never heard of either Rossetti or Van Hunks, and don't know the legend, I thought this morning I'd reproduce the original poem in full.  It's very Victorian in its emphasis on "the wages of sin" for eternity.  In this day and age, perhaps it's not a bad thing to be reminded of that reality . . .

The Ballad of Jan Van Hunks

Full of smoke was the quaint old room
And of pleasant winter-heat;
Whence you might hear the hall-door slap,
And the wary shuffling of feet
Which from the carpeted floor stepped out
Into the ice-paved street.

Van Hunks was laughing in his paunch;
Ten golden pieces rare
Lay in his hand; with neighbour Spratz
He had smoked for a wager there;
He laughed, and from his neighbour’s pipe
He looked to his neighbour’s chair.

Even as he laughed, the evening shades
Rose stealthily and spread,
Till the smoky clouds walled up the sun
And hid his shining old head,
As though he too had his evening pipe
Before he tumbled to bed.

Van Hunks still chuckled as he sat:
It caused him an inward grin,
When he heard the blast shake shutter and blind
With its teeth-chattering din,
To fancy the many who froze without
While he sat snug within.

His bowl restuffed, again he puffed:
No noise the stillness broke
Save the tread of feet here and there in the street,
And the church-bells hourly stroke;
While silver-white through the deepening dusk
Up leaped the rapid smoke.

“For thirty years,” the Dutchman said,
“I have smoked both night and day;
I’ve laid great wagers on my pipe
But never had once to pay,
For my vapouring foes long ere the close
Have all sneaked sickly away.

“Ah! would that I could find but one
Who knew me not too well
To try his chance against me
After the evening bell,
Even though he came to challenge me
From the smoking-crib of Hell!”

His breath still lingered on the air
And mingled with the smoke,
When he was aware of a little old man
In broidered hosen and tocque,
Who looked as though from a century’s sleep
That instant he had woke.

Small to scan was the little old man
Passing small and lean;
Yet a something lurked about him,
Felt strongly though unseen,
Which made you fear the hidden soul
Whose covering was so mean.

What thunder dwelt there, which had left
On his brow that lowering trace, ―
What lightning, which could kindle so
The fitful glare on his face, ―
Though the sneering smile coursed over his lips,
And the laughter rose apace.

With cap in hand the stranger bowed
Till the feather swept his shoe: ―
“A gallant wish was yours,” he said,
“And I come to pleasure you;
We’re goodly gossips, you and I,
Let us wager and fall to.”

The Dutchman stared. “How here you came
Is nothing to me,” he said;
“A stranger I sought to smoke withal,
And my wish is seconded;
But tell me, what shall the wager be,
By these our pipes assay’d?”

“Nay now,” the old man said, “what need
Have we for a golden stake
What more do we ask but honour’s spur
To keep our hopes awake?
And yet some bond ’twixt our goodwills
Must stand for the wager’s sake.

“This be our bond: ― two midnights hence
The term of our strife shall be;
And whichsoe’er to the other then
Shall yield the victory,
At the victor’s hest must needs accept
His hospitality.”

“Done, done!” the Dutchman cried; “your home,
I’d reach be it far or near;
But in my good pipe I set my trust,
And ’tis you shall sojourn here; ―
Here many a time we’ll meet again
For the smokers’ welcome cheer.”

With that, they lit their pipes and smoked,
And never a word they said;
The dense cloud gathered about them there
High over each smoke-crowned head,
As if with the mesh of some secret thing
They sat encompassed.

But now when a great blast shook the house,
The Dutchman paused and spoke: ―
“If ought this night could be devised
To sweeten our glorious smoke,
’Twere the thought of outcast loons who freeze
’Neath the winter’s bitter yoke.”

The stranger laughed: “I most have watched
The dire extremes of heat,
Ay, more than you, I have seen men quail,
And found their sufferings sweet
Fit gossips, you and I! But hark!
What sound comes from the street?”

To the street the chamber window stood,
With shutters strongly barred.
There came a timid knock without
And another afterward;
But both so low and faint and weak
That the casement never jarred.

And weak the voice that came with the knock:
“My father, lend your ear!
’Twas store of gold that you bade me wed,
But the wife I chose was dear;
And she and my babes crave only bread.
O father, pity and hear!”

Van Hunks looked after the feathered smoke:
“What thing so slight and vain
As pride whose plume is torn in the wind
And joy’s rash flight to pain?”
Then loud: “Thou mind’st when I bad thee hence,
Poor fool, go hence again!”

There came a moan to the lighted room,
A moan to the frosty sky: ―
“O father, my loves are dying now, ―
Father, you too must die.
Oh! on your soul, by God’s good grace
Let not this dread hour lie!”

“Gossip, well done!” quoth the little old man;
And in a silvery spire,
Like a spider’s web up leaped his smoke
Still twisting higher and higher;
And still through the veil his watchful eye
Burned with a fell desire.

A woman’s voice came next to the wall: ―
“Father, my mother’s died:
’Twas three months since that you drove her forth
At bitter Christmastide:
How could I care for your proffered gold
And quit my mother’s side?

“For two months now I have begged my bread;
Father, I can no more:
My mother’s deaf and blind in her grave,
But her soul is at Heaven’s door;
And though we’re parted on this side death,
We may meet on the further shore.”

Van Hunks laughed up at the scudding smoke:
“Ay, go what way you will!
Of folly and pride, in life or death,
Let a woman take her fill!
My girl, even choose this road or that,
So we be asunder still!”

“Gossip, well done!” the old man shrieked,
“And mark how the words come true!”
The smoke soared wildly around his head
In snakes of knotted blue;
And ever at heart of the inmost coil
Two fiery eyes shot through.

Above the hearth was a carven frame
Where seven small mirrors shone;
There six bright moon-shapes circled round
A centre rayed like a sun;
And ever the reflex image dwelt
Alike in every one.

No smokers’ faces appeared there now,
But lo! by magic art,
Seven times one squalid chamber showed
A dull graves’ counterpart;
For there two starving parents lay
With their starved babes heart to heart.

Then changed the scene. In the watered street,
’Twixt houses dim and tall,
Like shaggy dogs did the pollards shake
Above the dark canal;
And a girl’s thin form gleamed through the night
And sank; and that was all.

And there the smoker beheld once more
Seven times his own hard face;
Half-dazed it seemed with sudden sights,
But it showed no sign of grace;
And seven times flashed two fiery eyes
In the mirror’s narrow space.

The hours wore on, and still they sat
’Mid the vapour’s stifling cloud;
The one tow’rds sudden stupor sank,
While the other laughed aloud.
Alas for the shrinking blinking owl
The vulture over him bowed!

’Twas the second night of the wager now,
And the midnight hour was near.
That glance like a kindled cresset blazed: ―
“Ho! gossip of mine, what cheer?”
But the smoke from the Dutchman’s pipe arose
No longer swift and clear.

The door-bell rang: “Peace to this house!” ―
’Twas the Pastor’s voice that spoke.
Above Van Hunks’s head still curled
A fitful flickering smoke,
As the last half-hour ere full midnight
From the booming clock-tower broke.

The old man doffed his bonnet and cringed
As he oped the chamber-door;
The priest cast never a glance his way,
But crossed the polished floor
To where the Dutchman’s head on his breast
Lolled with a torpid snore.

“Mynheer, your servant sought me out;
He says that day and night
You have sat” ― he shook the smoker’s arm,
But shrank in sudden fright;
The arm dropped down like a weight of lead,
The face was dull and white.

And now the stranger stood astride,
And taller he seemed to grow:
The pipe sat firm in his sneering lips,
And with victorious glow
Like dancing figures around its bowl
Did the smoke-wreaths come and go.

“Nay, nay,” he said, “our gossip sits
On contemplation bent;
On son and daughter after, his mind
Is doubtless all intent;
Haply his silence breathes a prayer
Ere the midnight hour be spent.”

“And who art thou?” the Pastor cried
With a quaking countenance.
“A smoke-dried crony of our good friend
Here rapt in pious trance.”
And his chuckle shook the vaporous sprites
To a madder, merrier dance.

“Hence, mocking Fiend, for I know thee now!”
The Pastor signed the cross,
But the old man laughed and shrieked at once,
As over turret and fosse
The midnight hour in the sleeping town
From bell to bell did toss.

“Too late, poor priest!” In the Pastor’s ear
So rang the scornful croak.
With that, a swoon fell over his sense;
And when at length he woke,
Two pipes lay shattered upon the floor,
The room was black with smoke.

That hour a direful Monster sped
Home to his fiery place;
A shrieking wretch hung over his back
As he sank through nether space.
Of such a rider on such a steed
What tongue the flight shall trace?

The bearer shook his burden off
As he reached his retinue:
He’s flung him into a knot of fiends,
Red, yellow, green and blue: ―
“I’ve brought a pipe for my private use, ―
Go trim it, some of you!”

They’ve sliced the very crown from his head, ―
Worse tonsure than a monk’s, ―
Lopped arms and legs, ― stuck a red-hot tube
In his wretchedest of trunks;
And when the Devil wants his pipe,
They bring him Jan Van Hunks.

It's strange how many times I've met people who declare themselves atheists or agnostics, and who scoff at religious folk:  but they have no doubt whatsoever that evil exists, even going so far as to acknowledge that Satan is a real person, not just a figment of ancient imagination.  When I try to point out that if the devil is real, it's a pretty good indication that God is real, too, they scoff again . . . but I hope it makes them think.

All I can say is, go work inside the walls of a high-security penitentiary for a few days.  You'll come out believing in the devil all right - because you'll have run into all too many of his unrepentant, incorrigible servants!  Sometimes their evil seems to hang like a miasma over the walls of such places, so strong it's almost tangible.  I wish I was joking about that . . . but I'm not.  One feels it in other places, too, where unspeakable evils have been perpetrated.  If you "have ears to hear", go to where the gas chambers at Auschwitz concentration camp used to stand, and the crematoria.  I swear you can still hear the screams of the dying.  It's the most uncanny, ghastly sensation.

Peter

If you're evacuating from New Orleans, you might want to refresh your memory first

 

Regular readers will recall that I was part of the post Hurricane Katrina cleanup operation in 2005, in New Orleans and south-eastern Louisiana.  I wrote about it quite extensively at the time, and later pulled all the separate posts together and published them as a single article on this blog.

Lessons learned from
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005

If you haven't already read that article, you might want to do so before "bugging out" of New Orleans this time.  Just sayin' . . .

Good luck to all of you caught in the hurricane's path.  Stay as safe as you can.

Peter

EDITED TO ADD:  Sundance notes:

Additionally, I hate to note this, but Joe Biden is in charge of FEMA… So plan accordingly.

Word.

*Sigh*

Another reason why undoing last year's electoral fraud is going to be an uphill battle

 

The evidence of electoral fraud in November 2020 is so vast it's conclusive, as far as I'm concerned.  The progressive left can bleat all it likes about "baseless" allegations, but they're not baseless.  Statistical analysis is about as conclusive as it can be, whether or not any of our courts have pronounced on it (and most of them have dodged the issue through procedural means).

However, a surprising number of Americans don't seem to care about that.  Their only concern is to get as much in the way of government benefits that they can - and to that end, they're going to support whatever political party promises to give them the most.  Needless to say, the progressive left is gleefully jumping on that wagon as hard as it can.  They're offering so much government pork that anyone trying to undo their electoral fraud is going to have a very difficult time persuading voters to look beyond the pork to the problem.

Ryan McMaken puts it in perspective.  Bold, underlined text is my emphasis.

The public sees the government spending on infrastructure, on unemployment payments, on loans to businesses, and on “free” money to American households. Most Americans are likely to find something they like in all that spending, and so they don't exactly strenuously object. After all, they see all these benefits without any clear connection to rising taxes.

Thus, much of the public completely ignores the “unseen” of what could have been bought with all that money had it not been redistributed by government fiat. The “unseen” is malinvestment, inflation, and more political power for the regime. Moreover, the monetary inflation necessary to keep the deficit-spending machine going continues to fuel artificial economic inequality. Easy money fuels asset price inflation for the rich while impoverishing ordinary people through inflation, booms, and busts.

But as the current government spending situation makes clear, these facts are virtually unknown to most of the public, and thus the public doesn’t see much downside to spending. Long gone are the old populist Democrats of Grover Cleveland's day, who understood that government spending was ripping somebody off—and that “somebody” is probably you.

Many also likely believe that as happened after World War II, things will just go back to “normal” after the crisis.

Of course, things never went back to normal after the Second World War. Federal spending as a percentage of GDP has been nearly double what it was even during the big spending days of the New Deal. What's more, the three decades of immense economic expansion following World War II occurred in a world where foreign economies were recovering from ruin and most of the world’s population was too unproductive to offer much competition to America’s workers. The US was running budget surpluses in the late forties and through much of the fifties. Americans were young, and there were far more workers producing than collecting government Social Security welfare checks.

Those days are gone, and although American workers continue to be highly productive, the burden each worker must bear to pay for the elderly and the unproductive continues to grow. 

What we have now is a country heavily dependent on ever-larger amounts of government spending and monetary expansion. It’s an economy marked by a growing population of aging pensioners, trillions spent on lost wars, and a mountain of debt with no prospects of “returning to normal” any time soon. Many Americans apparently like it that way.

There's more at the link.

More than half of all US households now receive government benefits of some kind (as do more than half of all immigrants).  Almost all that money is provided by deficit spending to fund entitlement programs.  When it comes to voting, the recipients of those benefits are more likely to consider which party will give them more benefits, rather than which party will contest the election honestly and not steal power through criminal manipulation of the results.

And that's why undoing last year's electoral fraud at the polls next year, and in 2024, is going to be so very, very difficult.  It won't just be ongoing electoral fraud (although that will certainly be a major factor).  It'll be that so many voters won't care about electoral fraud, or will regard it as less important than bigger government payouts.  For too many voters, greed will triumph over legitimacy.

Peter

Communications security when everyone is listening

 

I've had a number of questions from readers about a seeming contradiction in some of the advice I've given about personal security and preparations in our current environment.  They point out that it's almost impossible to stop outside forces or agencies "snooping" on our communications with each other - so how is it feasible to plan ahead for contingencies when our plans can't be kept to ourselves?  The sort of scenarios that have been mentioned include (but are not limited to):

• Like-minded people getting together to plan local security for a region that might be plagued by extremists trying to intimidate residents;
• People working together to coordinate emergency preparations (reserves of food, water filtration, "bug-out" plans, etc.);
• Training sessions, where people will get together at a given location to practice weaponcraft, learn new skills from each other (e.g. food canning, gardening, makeshift repairs, etc.) and so on;
• Storing equipment and supplies against future need, and to avoid potential losses due to various causes.

There's quite a lot that can be done to preserve confidentiality in planning and communications.  However, it all requires forethought, hard work, and consistency.  Any failure at any point in the chain may expose one's plans to others.  Therefore, those involved in the process have to be trustworthy, and monitor each other rigorously, and hold each other accountable for keeping things under wraps.

The first thing to remember is that any and every electronic communication (cellphone conversations, text messages, e-mails, Internet chat rooms, whatever) is by definition insecure.  The NSA routinely intercepts every telephone call, and monitors the entire Internet.  Google and other companies scan every e-mail you send, ostensibly to target advertisements to you, but also, I'm sure, to keep an eye over who's saying and/or doing what, and whether this might be of interest to the authorities.  Your Internet service provider logs every Web site you visit.  If you visit certain sites regularly, you might be flagged as an extremist, or classified as a member of "a group of interest".

One can do a certain amount to preserve privacy, such as using a VPN or anonymized browsing (e.g. the TOR network), but that can only go so far.  Today's communication analysis tools are so far-reaching and so capable that one simply can't assume that we have any online privacy left at all.  (For example, the FBI cracked TOR years ago.)  One certainly can't trust "free" or "open-source" encryption hardware and software.  Most of it has been compromised, some before it even hits the market through prior arrangement between the authorities and its originators by incorporating "backdoor" access.  Also, hackers have found ways to penetrate most such offerings.  (Remember, too, that merely using such services may make one a person of interest to the authorities.  "If you have nothing to hide, what are you trying to hide, and why?"  They certainly won't accept any arguments about your privacy, because in their world view, nobody should have any privacy.  Sound familiar?)

Electronic communications have been insecure for quite a long time, actually.  Back in World War II the German armed forces had a saying:  Alle funkverkehr ist Landesverrat - "all radio traffic is treason".  That's because, even if an enemy couldn't decipher or decrypt the message, he could learn a lot by traffic analysis, evaluation of the individual Morse code technique of individual operators (thus enabling a listener to track those individuals as they moved between units and postings), code names (and changes in them), and so on.  Every transmission would reveal something, whether the sender liked it or not.

That means, if we want to use electronic communication in any form, we have to use code words or phrases to describe what we're talking about, and change them frequently.  We must expect and assume that someone, somewhere, is listening.  That may well mean that for important subjects, they're not discussed online at all.  It's that simple.  We can also use alternative methods of electronic communication, less likely to be intercepted (but still vulnerable to some extent, so caution is still necessary).  Walkie-talkie-type radios, CB radio, ham radio, etc. can all be useful tools.

For anything really important, the only foolproof protection against electronic eavesdropping is not to use electronics.  Older methods of communication will come into play.  The mail and/or commercial courier services are only partly secure.  Remember, the US Postal Service photographs the addresses on every single item sent through its network, and courier services record the same information electronically.  Patterns of communication (traffic analysis) can thus be established relatively easily, making it simple to target certain correspondence for further investigation.  (Incarcerated prisoners try to get around this by using false "from" and "to" addresses, having made arrangements for the mail to be hand-delivered to the right person upon arrival.  It requires constant vigilance from corrections officers.)

For highly sensitive arrangements, some people use codes and ciphers.  I think this is overblown;  there are very few legal things so sensitive as to require this.  Nevertheless, book ciphers and other simple techniques have been used in that way for decades, if not centuries.  If properly used, with appropriate security precautions, they're very hard to crack.  For those who've had cryptography training in the military, there are other options;  and commercial code programs and hardware are freely available, if you have the money to buy them.

I know of several groups who are heavily into preparing for hard times, working together to ensure mutual security, etc.  They take security very seriously, because they don't want to be described as a "militia group" (which they're not, but journalists will sensationalize anything), or singled out for confiscation of their reserves in hard times (when authorities are likely to accuse every "prepper" of "hoarding", in an attempt to curry favor with an angry populace).  They generally don't talk about their programs at all over electronic media.  It's all face-to-face, word-of-mouth communication, plus some innocuous-seeming notices in public media and places where everyone else can read them without signing in or otherwise identifying themselves as being interested.  Some of those groups have been operating that way for years.  (The "Moscow Rules" are widely known, and can be useful on occasion.)

So, if you're worried about security, there are options available.  However, I caution that if the authorities get seriously interested in you, or in anyone holding certain opinions, the odds of keeping your activities secret are very poor indeed.  That's just the way it is in our surveillance society.  (Besides, there are plenty of neighborhood busybodies who'll be delighted to inform on you if that's the way to get benefits for themselves.)

I'm sure I'm on several lists, thanks to the opinions I've expressed on this blog and elsewhere.  I simply shrug and carry on regardless.  If things go to hell in a handbasket, I'll just have to stand (or fall) on what I believe in - as will we all.

Peter

This can't just be stupidity - it's too stupid for that. There HAS to be actual malice involved.

 

I was utterly flabbergasted to read this report yesterday.

U.S. officials in Kabul gave the Taliban a list of names of American citizens, green card holders and Afghan allies to grant entry into the militant-controlled outer perimeter of the city’s airport, a choice that's prompted outrage behind the scenes from lawmakers and military officials.

The move, detailed to POLITICO by three U.S. and congressional officials, was designed to expedite the evacuation of tens of thousands of people from Afghanistan as chaos erupted in Afghanistan’s capital city last week after the Taliban seized control of the country. It also came as the Biden administration has been relying on the Taliban for security outside the airport.

Since the fall of Kabul in mid-August, nearly 100,000 people have been evacuated, most of whom had to pass through the Taliban's many checkpoints. But the decision to provide specific names to the Taliban, which has a history of brutally murdering Afghans who collaborated with the U.S. and other coalition forces during the conflict, has angered lawmakers and military officials.

“Basically, they just put all those Afghans on a kill list,” said one defense official, who like others spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive topic. “It’s just appalling and shocking and makes you feel unclean.”

There's more at the link.

This is so incredible, so absolutely, sickeningly incompetent, that I don't believe it can be incompetence alone.  There HAS to have been actual malice involved.  Someone, somewhere, must surely have thought along these lines:

"Well, we can't get all our allies and associates out, and we're going to get publicly pilloried for that:  but, if we hand them over to the Taliban, perhaps the Taliban will ignore our own people, and let us get them out while they take their revenge on collaborators.  We can at least get something good out of this mess, and claim some credit that way - and besides, they're not Americans, so they don't count. Yeah, let's try that."

I can think of no other possible explanation for any US bureaucrat, diplomat or official doing something so incredibly dumb, stupid, terminally obtuse and criminally cretinous.

The official(s) responsible have, by their actions, condemned every Afghan they named to the Taliban - and their wives, and their children, and their extended families - to death.  Some will already have been killed.  If the remainder are lucky, it'll be over quickly.  If they're not . . . it'll be a slow, lingering, living hell on earth until the final mercy.  That goes double (triple!) for the women.

It would be the most poetic of all possible justices if the official(s) who released those names to the Taliban missed the last flight out, and found themselves at the mercy of the new masters of Afghanistan.  It would be even more appropriate if they found themselves waiting for torture and execution alongside those they betrayed.

As for the US military personnel killed yesterday in Kabul . . . I'm sorry, guys.  You were put into an impossible situation - what Solomon calls a "self made kill box", which is as good a description as any - by the incompetence and short-sightedness of your leaders, both military and political.  As a combat veteran, I feel for you in a way that civilians can't possibly understand.  You answered Uncle Sam's call, and Uncle Sam's representatives threw away your lives.  I wish I could do more about that than apologize.  All I can offer you are my heartfelt, deepest thanks for doing your duty, and my condolences to those you left behind.  Your sacrifice will not be forgotten.

I hope someone pays for that, too.

Peter

The nightmare of the bureaucratic "nanny state" is that it has no conscience

 

The Intrepid Reporter highlights one of the most sickening aspects of the current draconian, authoritarian, anti-democratic Australian lockdown.

Whelp...Australia's gone full retard.  

Completely ****ing insane-retard.  

Make that Potato-Insane

Link Here: https://pjmedia.com/vodkapundit/2021/08/23/revolting-aussies-shooting-rescue-dogs-dead-in-anti-covid-effort-n1472059

According to the Sydney Morning Herald: "Bourke Shire Council, in the state’s north-west, killed the dogs to prevent volunteers at a Cobar-based animal shelter from travelling to pick up the animals last week, according to council’s watchdog, the Office of Local Government."

They. Shot. The. Doggos.

WOW

Somewhere there's a lesson here:  Something about the fact that IF they're so willing to kill innocent animals, then they sure as hell wouldn't have a problem killing humans... especially those who would oppose them.

Bigger Lesson: 

Never. EVER. Give. Up. Your. Guns.

Under ANY Circumstances.

The Australians did

And now?  The Psycho-Feelz Slores in Charge have unleashed their low-IQ bullyboys and trustees on the population.  And appear to be enjoying theyselves.  Lording it over the population.

Man, what a shame

Gutless ****less Wonders

I used to admire the Aussies... 

Wanted to 'do the Outback' thang before I joined the Regular Army... 

Loved the commercials... like the beer commercial where a giant-assed boulder would land on a dude, utterly crushing him, and you'd hear a muffled "Ow!" from under the boulder, and the Announcer would say "Wimp."

Not no more apparently.  'Cos me?  It's be old fashion night-rider time.  Masks, Nooses, Trees... just add Bourke Shire Councilmembers (and family members) wash, rinse repeat.

Hang 'em high, and leave 'em for the crows to pick out their eyes from their rotting corpses.

AND

DARE the authorities to do something if they have the *****.

. . .

Oh yeah, that's a 'burning at the stake' level crime...

Right up there with child-rape and such.

There's more at the link.

That's definitely one of the most nauseating aspects of the Australian lockdown, as far as I'm concerned.  Put down dogs because they're carrying a dangerous disease?  I can understand that, even if I don't like it.  Put them down because there are no homes for them, and they'd otherwise go feral or starve on the streets?  Check.  But MURDER THEM IN COLD BLOOD, JUST TO STOP PEOPLE COMING TO RESCUE AND ADOPT THEM???  That's what Kim du Toit would call a RCOB moment ("Red Curtain of Blood", in front of the eyes, signifying fury), if ever I heard of one!

If anyone in my town or county administration took that decision, and if anyone dared to carry it out, I'd make it my personal responsibility to bring charges against them of cruelty to animals, abuse of public office, and any and every other crime I could think of.  I'd picket their homes.  I'd organize groups to throw rotting refuse at them every time they showed their faces in the street.  I'd make their lives a living hell, because it's no more than they would deserve.  Will any Australians have the guts to do likewise?  I certainly hope so, otherwise they don't deserve to be called human beings.

Note this critical point from the excerpt above:

Somewhere there's a lesson here:  Something about the fact that IF they're so willing to kill innocent animals, then they sure as hell wouldn't have a problem killing humans... especially those who would oppose them.

That's it, right there.  If the authorities can be so callous, so uncaring, so self-righteous as to do that to animals without a qualm, I have little doubt they'd do it to people as well, and feel just as little restraint about it.  Such people are dangerous.  They don't deserve to be in public office at all, and they should be driven out of it before their callousness can carry over to how they treat us.

If you find that bureaucrats in your local or regional administration are that sort of critter, you have two choices.  Get rid of them - or get out of that area.  If you don't, they will force you to submit, because they don't care about you as an individual.  You're just a digit in the system, a brick in the wall, and they'll treat you as such.

If worse comes to worst, make sure you know and can identify every one of the statist SOB's in your area who try to rule over you by diktat or executive fiat.  If things come to a crunch, deal with them as they deserve.  There are far too many of them right now, in America as well as Australia, and we're likely to have to thin their herd before long.

Peter

Michael Yon on Afghanistan - and a deadly forecast for Taiwan

 

Michael Yon has built a stellar reputation as an independent journalist who goes the extra mile, at his own expense and at the risk of his life, to get the story.  He's become legendary among US and British troops for the way he reported the war in Iraq and Afghanistan.  Now he focuses on the current crisis in the latter country, and he's not optimistic (to put it mildly) about the future.  Here are some of his recent reports.

Want to Know Something about Afghan fighting? I will tell you.

I learned a lot about Pashtun ways of fighting. Much of that was from reading books. Much of that was from talking with combat vets. War stories are very important. If vets do not tell their stories, we lose vital information. So stop being silent, and tell your hard-won stories. We must spread this knowledge.

And the rest was tons of combat. My own war stories.

And from my own study, listening to war stories, and experience, I will say this about the building fight in Kabul. The longer we stay, the more likely we will end up with severe fighting inside Kabul. We are still somewhat within their OODA, but not much.

As you know, Pashtun -- who comprise most of Taliban -- have many cultural fighting habits. One is to pursue fleeing enemies. Like Border Collies. Have you ever had a Border Collie? They chase what flees. Including you.

Pashtun will not stop fighting us so long as we are there. These guys giving briefings talking about negotiating with Taliban are either dumber than oysters or lying like starfish. Pashtun-Taliban see us fleeing. They are chase-o-holics. It's probably hardly within their realm of Will to resist chasing us.

There is another cultural habit of swarming. Many cultures do this. We see it during flatscreen riots in America, only the people doing flatscreen riots are less civilized than Taliban. Some cultures swarm more than others.

When I was in Mindanao, Philippines, Green Berets and SEALs told me about local swarming habits. Called pentacaso or something like that. Cockfight. And so, if you get into a firefight, every farmer and villager within earshot drops what they are doing and runs to the fight. Showing up with whatever they have, often planning to find weapons on arrival.

This is very dangerous for defenders on islands. The swarm will surround you and keep adding to the swarm and either push you to the sea or cause you to use all your ammo and then cut off your head. So either you must break contact quickly, before the swarm forms, or reinforce.

You can bet your last dollar that right now many men from Pashtun villages around Afghanistan have been emptying out to join the fight. They know if they win they can fetch some young virgins. Get some treasure. Get some glory. Have some fun. Chop some enemies to pieces. The most exciting moment of their life.

The longer this takes, the more likely we will see suicide attacks and all sorts of other increasingly heavy fighting as the swarm builds.

Some people are saying they did not see the intelligence that Taliban could mass so quickly. That's only because they did not take into account the swarming behavior of some cultures.

We've just stamped in an ant bed. And while dancing around swatting ants, we tipped over a beehive. While running from the bees we jumped into a river and crocodiles heard the splash.

Our people must move very fast. There is no time for hormone therapy. Already the Brits are forced to do our man-work and are reportedly rescuing people while our woke-borne forces are quarantined on base.

This will get worse if we do not move quickly. Broken arrow.

Non-linkable excerpt from Michael Yon's SITREP channel, 08/20/21:

Our government is no longer legitimate. They have abandoned Americans to die. They lock up Americans without charges.. Opened our borders. Encouraged and cheered as our cities burn. Destroying our military. Let churches burn. Rebuilt Mullah Omar’s Mosque in Kandahar — former Taliban leader — You read that right. I will write it again: They rebuilt Mullah Omar’s Mosque. With American citizens money. Am staying it again: Rebuilt the mosque with our blood. The mosque of Mullah Omar, who welcomed al Qaeda and cheered as people jumped from burning towers. This government no longer represents the United States or Americans.

Non-linkable excerpt from Michael Yon's SITREP channel, 08/21/21:

JFS Editor: "The following is from a very observant supporter on Locals. @michaelyon

The rage, frustration and disgust I feel when I see the unfolding debacle in Kabul gives me a knot in my stomach because it was so preventable.

The simplest use of rational thinking and resolve should have resulted in a phased orderly withdrawal of every American, every thoroughly vetted Afghani in mortal danger who had helped us, all military personnel, and all military equipment, weapons and munitions either removed or destroyed.

We had ample time (months) and resources in place to plan and execute such a withdrawal instead of the shameful and humiliating rout we are now having to endure. And as painful as it is, the present humiliation is going to have even longer and more devastating consequences as further events unfold.

In the Chinese Communist Party the United States is facing the most implacable and ruthless enemy bent on our destruction that we have ever faced. Internationally we need to be at the top of our game as never before with the ability to attract, inspire, and reassure allies. To understate it, such an ability is going to be hard establish and maintain with a reputation for being feckless, faithless, and inclined to not honor one’s word.

But perhaps worst of all is how our conduct has emboldened the Chinese Communists who might be assuming that now the time has come for a successful all out military conquest of Taiwan in spite of gestures like US participation in joint naval exercises. Would such an assumption on the part of the CCP be correct? The truly frightening thing is that no one can really tell, especially the present US commander-in-chief and his DoD minions who, after the fact, might just shrug their shoulders and say “it all happened faster than we expected.”

The most realistic advice I would currently give to any Taiwanese Chinese concerned for the safety of their family and loved ones, especially anyone perceived to have anti-communist beliefs, is to get the hell out of Taiwan ASAP.

Kabul:  US Government is Stopping Civilian Op Dunkirk Attempts (08/22/21)

The failing United States military and civilian government are not letting us land to rescue Americans. Many groups have aircraft waiting to fly. Serious people with serious means.

We can get people out but the United States government is so draconian that we are being held back NOT by the Taliban, but by the US Government who created the problem.

The US government has lost legitimacy. It’s getting in the way.

United States will be busy now arming Taliban with money, credibility, and at this moment is facilitating Taliban control ... The United States ‘government’ is getting in the way of saving American lives while giving away hundreds of billions of dollars worth of infrastructure, roads, advanced military gear, and training. All at expense of —what? Debt to schools who make American children into obedient Marxists.

And, on Taiwan:

Communication as well as other systems might be unreliable or down in the coming days and weeks. Much more serious than the disruptions we saw earlier.

China is getting ready to hit Taiwan, and that means massive disruption to US systems in order to paralyze us further from helping Taiwan.

Twitter, for now, is allowing criticism of the Biden Regime and the WestExec handlers, but that will change when the CCP changes its purpose for the criticism. Twitter, Facebook, Linked In, any social media platform that has been willing to play by CCP rules in the past will shut down all dissent almost overnight.

I can only concur with his warning on Taiwan.  If I were the Chinese Communist Party, I'd be mobilizing my invasion forces right now, and preparing to strike while America is distracted with what's going down in Afghanistan.  I don't think there could be a more opportune time for them.  Consider:

• Our President is incompetent, incapable and almost incapacitated by age-related mental deterioration, propped up in office by blatant elder abuse and manipulation by those pulling the strings behind the scenes.
• Chinese money and influence dominates many of our politicians, to the point that they might actually countenance and tolerate a Chinese conquest of one of our oldest allies in the Far East, despite our treaty relationships with it.
• Our military has been reduced to a hollow shell of what it once was, paralyzed by political correctness.
• Our economy is a mess, mismanaged, hamstrung by supply chain difficulties, and hopelessly indebted.
• Our national focus on political correctness, particularly related to the COVID-19 pandemic, is preventing our politicians paying sufficient attention to what's going on elsewhere.

Frankly, given all those factors, if China doesn't move on Taiwan within a matter of weeks I'll be very surprised indeed.  The door is wide open for them to take it, then cock a snook at the rest of the world.  I don't think President Biden would know what to do about it, or even want to do anything about it (that's assuming he understood what was going on in the first place).  His handlers would probably make enough money by kowtowing to Chinese imperialism that they wouldn't care.

I'm glad I don't live in Taiwan right now . . .

A PERSONAL NOTE TO MR. YON:

I don't know if Michael Yon will ever read this, but I hope someone who does will let him know about it - I have no way to contact him directly.  He simply has too many Web outlets and feeds right now to keep track of them all.  I've linked to no less than four of them above, and there are others.  He needs to have a central "index", if you like, where those of us who follow his work can find all his articles (or links to them), and where those who want to support his work can find a central donation point.  Right now, neither is feasible.

I'm sure this is costing him readers, and it's definitely costing him money.  Several people I know - including myself - will gladly donate to support him, but we don't know where or how to do so in order to get access to all his work.  Patreon donations cover only that source, not others, and so on.  He needs to streamline his Web presence!

Peter

The impact of the Russian ammo import ban

 

One of the largest Internet ammunition vendors in the country, SGAmmo of Oklahoma, had this to say in their latest newsletter.  Bold, underlined text is my emphasis.

There has been a lot of people asking me about the sanctions on Russian ammo imports put in place by the US state department this past week and what it means for the future of ammunition supplies. There will be more clarity in several weeks when we can see the publication of a Federal Register notice expected on September 7, 2021. The state department announcement can be seen at this page - https://www.state.gov/fact-sheet-united-states-imposes-additional-costs-on-russia-for-the-poisoning-of-aleksey-navalny/

My Russian Ammo Sanction Opinion - First, I hope you don't 'shoot the messenger' and I'd like to pat everyone on the back and tell them things are going to be okay but that wouldn't be truthful. In my opinion the sanctions are a major game-changer in the ammunition supply chain that is already strained. For the time being and based on what we can see so far, we believe that this will be the effective end of Russian made ammo in the USA as it plays out over the next year or so as import permits expire or are filled to the quantity limits, and in doing so eliminate supply of a huge portion of the ammo in the US commercial market. From what I understand, the USA commercial market consumes around 800,000,000 rounds of ammunition from Russia every year, roughly 800 semi truck trailers worth in a mix of the most popular calibers. For the immediate short term we expect ammo to keep coming in from Russia but I expect the importers to raise prices substantially which is understandable to me given its the end of the lifespan for their business model. The calibers we believe will be most effected are soviet metric calibers like 7.62x39, 5.45x39, and 7.62x54R because there is almost zero available manufacturing capacity for these calibers outside of Russia and what little exists will not make a significant impact in filling the needs of the USA commercial market without Russian ammo absorbing the lion's share. In addition to these calibers, I estimate that the Russians supplied 30% to 40% of the 223 Rem / 5.56 and 9mm Luger consumed at the shooting ranges across this country, and large portions of the 45 auto, 9x18 Makarov, 30 carbine, 308 Winchester / 762x51, 380 Auto, 300 Blackout and 6.5 Grendel. I see this as a potentially devastating blow to the supply for of 223 Rem / 5.56 and 9mm Luger, where the reduction in supply from Russia will be difficult to make up in the short term for other manufacturers who have already been unable to keep up with demand this past year. Consumers who have used Russian ammo regularly will have to move on from Russian made ammo to those other products made elsewhere and in doing so absorb the supply and prolong recent shortages. Again this is my opinion, based on my knowledge of the industry after 20+ years experience, and how things play out over time could be different. For me, selling Russian made ammo is about 40% of my business, and while we plan to source as much supply as we can from other sources, we do expect this to have a major negative impact on supply for 7.62x39, 7.62x54R, 5.45x39, 9mm Makarov, 9mm Luger, 223 Rem / 5.56 NATO, as well as the other mentioned calibers.

I think some Russian manufacturers will switch their production lines to other countries.  For example, some Wolf ammunition (a Russian firm) is already produced in Taiwan under license, and therefore should not be affected by the new import ban.  Serbian manufacturer Prvi Partisan produces large quantities of Soviet-era cartridges in brass cases, and should not have any difficulty setting up a steel-case production line to take over some of the supply formerly handled by Russia.  South Africa's PMP produced brass-case 7.62x39mm ammo during the Border War period, and could doubtless ramp up manufacture of that and other rounds to meet US market demand.  However, all those sources will probably cost more in future, to cover the expense of setting up and/or expanding production lines and shipping their product to America.

For now, I can only suggest buying what you can while the going's good.  I see that Commander Zero snapped up one retailer's entire supply of Wolf 7.62x39mm at a very nice price by today's standards, because the vendor wasn't yet aware of the new restrictions.  There may be more bargains like that to be had.  If you find one, grab it quick before someone else does!

You might also want to consider changing your training routine to reflect the new ammo supply reality.  I'm using a lot more .22LR rimfire ammo for more affordable training, in weapons such as the Ruger 10/22 rifle.  This includes the use of miniature targets at shorter ranges, to simulate the look of standard-size targets at normal combat ranges.  I'll still shoot 50 to 100 rounds of full-power ammo when I train with my AR's, but that'll be fewer times a year.  I'll make up the shortfall with more readily available, lower-cost rimfire rounds that I can afford to shoot more often.  That way, my skills won't atrophy.

Peter

EDITED TO ADD:  Greg Ellifritz lists "Five Consequences of the Russian Ammo Ban".  Worth reading.

The dilemma of out-of-control prisons, and the danger they pose

 

As a former prison chaplain, this report from the biggest jail in New York City resonated deeply with me, and made me very angry.

Inmates are running wild on Rikers Island amid an ongoing staffing crunch that’s left charges free to stab each other, answer the phones and run through corridors destroying maintenance equipment, The Post has learned.

On Sunday morning, three inmates from the Folk Nation gang jumped a Bloods member and slashed him in the face inside an unmanned housing area at the Anne M. Kross Center, the jail’s largest facility, internal records obtained by The Post show.

At the time, 26 corrections officers were working quadruple shifts, 35 were on triple shifts and 30 patrol posts across the AMKC were unmanned as the jail grapples with an ongoing staff shortage, internal communications show.

A day earlier at the Otis Bantum Correctional Center, another Rikers facility, a group of inmates ran wild through the corridors and destroyed a bunch of fire safety equipment before officers could stop them, according to an internal email seeking “emergency maintenance.”

“Numerous inmates were running through the corridors. They [sic] inmates broke the fire cabinets and numerous exit signs throughout the corridors. They also removed the hoses and nozzles from the cabinets,” states the email, sent by an assistant deputy warden.

On Monday, the chaos continued, according to Patrick Ferraiuolo, president of the Correction Captains’ Association.

“One of my captains in AMKC called a housing area and the inmates answered the phone,” Ferraiuolo recounted.

“[The inmate] said ‘Hey how you doing captain? The officer went home, he was tired, he was going into his triple or fourth tour and he left, he left us here alone.’ So it’s a housing area with no correctional officer watching over them… this is an everyday occurrence,” he continued.

“It’s just been a nightmare.”

. . .

Last week, corrections officers and captains protested outside the jail and lambasted what they called the worst working conditions in the jail’s notorious history — conditions that DOC Commissioner Vincent Schiraldi admitted were serious.

There's more at the link.

Rikers Island is bad enough, but similar problems are endemic throughout local, state and federal prisons in this country.  We incarcerate a higher proportion of our population than any other country in the world, but our politicians don't want to spend money on keeping them in safe, secure conditions.  That means those assigned to keep them behind bars (and keep the rest of us safe from them) are forced to work under at best undesirable conditions - at worst, actively dangerous ones.  That makes it harder to recruit and retain suitable staff, leading to a national prison officer shortage.

Many people have no idea about (and/or don't care about) conditions behind bars.  It's bad for the inmates, and it's bad for those who have to keep them there.  Prison is a hothouse environment for trouble.  When you bring together, when you distill, the nastiest, most violent, most predatory people in the population into a concentrated mass, confined in one location, their nastiness and violence and predation spill over.  They don't change their ways because they're behind bars;  they merely change their targets to what's available.  Part of that means preying on each other, rather than the general public;  but that's dangerous, because a fellow prisoner might be more violent and more predatory than you are.  Therefore, they try their tricks on the staff, and seek to undermine and wear them down in any way they can.  As I wrote in my book on prison chaplaincy:

Working in such an environment has an inevitable effect on the staff – not just the Correctional Officers, but all of us.  It's very hard to maintain a cool, professional approach when you know that many of the inmates are out to get you in any way they can.  After a while, the constant lies, evasions, attempts at manipulation, lack of co-operation, and just plain nastiness start to wear you down.  Stress levels among prison staff are understandably very high, with inevitable negative consequences for their domestic life.  The incidence of divorce and suicide amongst all peace officers is considerably above average, and corrections staff aren't exempt.  It's very hard to leave your work behind at the gates of the prison . . .

This is very troubling from three perspectives.  The first is that of inmates who genuinely want to change, to reform, and seek help in doing so.  Their approach will be automatically regarded with suspicion by prison staff.  We've all been 'conned' so many times that it's all too easy to regard any such approach as more of the same.  The inmates, hurt and frustrated, then blame the staff for being unfeeling and inhuman.  Yes, in a sense they're right – but they refuse to acknowledge the inevitability of such a reaction, given the staff's constant exposure to less-well-motivated inmates.  As a result, some convicts who really are sincere, and should receive extra help, aren't given what they need.  Some of them will turn away, frustrated and angry, and decide that if the system is going to treat them like dirt, then they're going to behave that way, just like everybody else behind bars.  Others will sink into apathy and disillusionment, perhaps giving up hope of any meaningful life behind bars.  Some of them may turn to drugs:  others may become suicidal.

The second perspective is that of the staff themselves.  They can very easily become hardened to anything any inmate says, and discount even reasonable excuses or explanations.  I've known cases where a minor infraction, by an inmate new to the system (probably committed through ignorance of regulations), has resulted in extremely heavy punishment, most likely because the officer or manager concerned was tired and frustrated from dealing with far too many similar cases, and wasn't in the mood to make allowances, or cut a new inmate some slack.  It's all too easy to say to oneself, "If they're going to treat me like dirt, then I'm going to dish out dirt to them.  Let's see how they like it!”  When I trained at FLETC, an instructor commented to me in private conversation, "During his first year in the BOP, a new officer can't do enough for the inmate.  During his second year, he can't do enough to the inmate.  The third and subsequent years, he just doesn't give a damn any more.”  Sadly, I've seen this cynical observation borne out in practice many times – although there are honorable exceptions, thank Heaven.

The third perspective is that of the families of prison staff.  It's hard to maintain a normal home environment when one's spouse is bringing home so much stress and tension.  Children feel it too.  A disproportionately large percentage of 'corrections marriages' fail, and the effects on spouse and children are long-lasting.  Second and subsequent marriages often go the same way.  It's extremely difficult for those who haven't personally experienced the stress of the corrections environment to understand its effect on those who live in it every day.  It's even harder for those who come home from it to share it with their spouses.  After all, how can a Correctional Officer tell his wife about the reality of his job?  If he says, "Honey, today I charged down a man with a knife, while armed only with my bare hands,” her instant (and understandable) reaction will probably be to scream at him for being a fool by exposing himself to such danger.  She might understand intellectually that he did something heroic and praiseworthy, but all she can see in her mind's eye is herself and her children at his funeral.

The prison environment has another unfortunate effect on staff and their families.  The staff member is surrounded, all day, every day, by those he cannot and dare not trust.  Every time they approach him, he's wondering about their ulterior motives and hidden purposes, suspecting a trap or an attempt to deceive.  When he gets home, it's sometimes very hard not to let this perspective affect his attitudes towards his loved ones.  What might be normal behavior in a child (fibs, excuses, etc.) may attract a much stronger reaction than normal parental disapproval and correction, because he's too used to exercising discipline (sometimes very physically) over real wrongdoers.  This leads to a great deal of stress and tension in families.

When corrections officers have to work in an out-of-control environment such as that described on Rikers Island, their difficult jobs become even harder.  Is it any wonder that, given such pressures, many leave for easier professions?  And is it any wonder that the authorities find it hard to recruit replacements for them, when they won't (or can't) fix the problems that cause them to leave?  And how can they fix the problems without sufficient staff (or budget) to do what's necessary?  It's an enormous and very complex issue, and I don't know how to solve it.

Spare a thought for those who, every day, keep us safe from those incarcerated for their crimes.  Without them, our society would be a much more dangerous place.

Peter